The work completed so far was basically the metal structure, and most of the cement work. Concrete is a rare commodity in Southern Sudan. No components of concrete are found in South Sudan, with the exception of some sand, which is still an hours drive away from where we are, and requires ‘mining’ the sand out of the ground along the Nile river. Gravel, Lime, and other parts of concrete need to be shipped into the area. There are very few roads, and the roads are terrible. Gravel is the closest at about 200 miles away. But costs over $5,000 to have it shipped to our location. And all of these parts need to be mixed the old fashion way. With a hoe, and a wheelbarrow. It makes for very slow work. Putting concrete together for anchoring a post is one thing, but when you need to create the floor of a 90 x 30 foot building, a foot thick, it makes for a lot of work. Of course the gravel, sand, and lime are all dumped in different locations, so there is a lot of wheelbarrowing from one location to another, all being done in 110 plus degree temperature. Luckily we aquired an old cement mixer that aided in the concrete creation process.

Other than pouring concrete we also moved things. Object that were donated to the hospital. Large objects. Now while these things are a blessing to the hospital, it also is a bit of a burden since many things are not needed, and they were donated prior to the completion of the hospital structure. Basically there is no room for this stuff. And there is no garbage collection to throw it away. So as patients are treated in the half built building it was our job to shuffle this equipment from one spot to another. This was unfortunately very time consuming.

While the actual structure of the hospital is being built, some work is being done in the shipping containers that supplies were delivered in. This actually worked quite well, and one container was turned into a O.R. Using shipping containers as buildings must be a popular thing to do in this part of the world. Many other places we visited used shipping containers. Like the airport in Lokiochoggio, Kenya.

Once supplies arrive the next phase will be to put up interior walls using actual wallboard. Along with this wiring will be done for electricity.

I’ve attached a few photos of the hospital building

Upon arriving in Werkok, we were greeted by everyone from the local village area. We got off the plane, and had people all around us, shaking hands, etc. The kids were dressed in rags, very dirty, and had as many flies as phisically possible landing and crawling on them. Something I would get used to very quickly.

Things were as primative as they could be. We had a couple of tukels (pronounced tookle, and is what they call their mud hut homes), and a few tents. The team there at the hospital has started to construct cement tukles which were just made of concrete instead of mud. Toilets were ‘long-drops’ or ’short-drops’. Simply a hole, that is either a few feet where flies and maggots are all around you, or the luxourious long-drop where seperates the fecal matter from you by maybe 10 meters. All water needs to be pumped by hand. And it is very very difficult. Showers are just using maybe a gallon of water, and a dipper. You use water very carefully when it takes a while to get in blazing heat.

We constantly drank water. But never went to the bathroom, I imagine it all came out via perspiration. The water was always warm, sometimes hot, even after pulling out of the well from several hundred feet below the ground.

The ground is made up of this black clay. The people call it black cotton. As far as we could tell, it was good for absolutely nothing. It was EXTREMELY hard to dig in. It was like concrete. Yet when it crumbled it was like powder. Maybe if you put water on it, then it would soften, but as I mentioned water is a rare commodity.

Meals were primarily lentils and rice. If I see them again it will be too soon. Though when we got there, I was thinking this stuff is pretty good. We did have some variety in what we ate. Some things very good.

We got to know the people well. And upon leaving I missed them already.

There is a ton more to share, so hopefully I will write more details about this part of the trip.

The was a great mix if people on the flights over. Many Indian, Muslim, and European people. I thought that was fun. The food was decent on the plane, but it after the 5th meal it got a little old.

We were in Amsterdam for a couple of hours. And it was pretty boring. I was surprised. I was hoping to at least get a glimpse of what the Netherlands is like. But it was as though I had just stepped off the plane into O’Hare or something. Everything was just as it would be in America. All signs were in English (often they didn’t even have translations, in dutch or anything). It was like a mall with tons of stores, but I felt ‘mall stoned’ not long after arriving there, so mostly I just sat and waited.

When we finally arrived in Nairobi, customs went very smooth. We paid more than double what we thought we would need to, and were not able to get them down. In any case, we got our Visas for Kenya, and our Sudan visas came today as well. Some dudes took our luggage, so we would tip them. We chased them yelling for them to let us do it. The men guarding the airport ( and all policemen for that matter) where carrying assault rifles. Interesting to see. I guess this is Africa.

The city is in a very pretty setting. The weather is just right. Maybe around 80, and usually a quick shower every day, but mostly sunny. We are sleeping under mosquito nets. The accommodations are actually quite nice. Certainly better than I thought. There is a lot of security everywhere in this city. I was told that 1/3 of the people protect or provide security for another 1/3 of the population. And the other third are in poverty. There actually seems to be a decent population of ‘middle-class’ people here. It is quite westernized. You can walk into certain buildings and feel like your back in the US. There are people wearing trendy cloths and talking on cell phones all over. We stopped at a flea market today, and I must say, these people were the most aggressive I’ve ever seen, one by one they would follow me/us (the only white people) as we walked by there stands. And after about 15 minutes there were like 30 ‘vendors’ getting in my face, shaking my hand, and working to get me to buy something. I bought nothing. And joked around with them quite a bit. I asked one man if he would be my friend if I didn’t buy anything. He said yes, I said really, then he said no. I then told him to go. To turn around and leave and that I was offended :).

So tomorrow, any glimpse of civilization will be gone. I’m actually looking forward to it. Sleeping under the stars with tribal drums in the background. I won’t post anything most likely till next wed.

Here are a few boring pictures. It’s really really hard to take pictures around here. People all over make a stink about it for some reason. They want to be paid for just being in the vicinity, and think that I’m stealing from them. Weird.

The Mayfield were we are staying, and Aaron and I composing this blog entry.

How Sudan is Divided

Although there are many divisions through the country there are three major divisions. The northern portion of Sudan is primarily Muslim. This is where the ‘government’ of Sudan is. And is where Khartoum is, the nations capital and biggest city. Because a majority of Sudan is occupied by the Muslim state the country is considered Muslim, and operates using the Islamic Shira Law (polygamy, prohibition of alcohol, etc).

The western portion of Sudan also called the Darfur is also primarily Muslim, but unlike the government power they are not Arab, but African. I won’t claim to be an expert on things going on in this region. But the way I understand things is that the Islamic north including the government see African Muslims as pagans or infidels, and apparently this is fuel for genocide, and the elimination of African Muslims. There is most likely way more to it. I’m sure oil plays a huge role as western and southern Sudan has plenty of it, and northern sudan wants it. This area of late has received most of the press when it comes to this area of Africa because of what is happening there.

Southern Sudan consist mostly of Christian and Animist (which pretty much embodies the tribal religions of the area). South Sudan has been through a long and terrible civil war. Defending themselves against the northern government, and inter-tribal fighting with themselves. South Sudan is now run by the ’sudo-government’ the SPLA, the army of the south. Three years ago a 6 year cease-fire was enacted, so things for the moment are mostly peaceful. Most turbulence is happening in the west (Darfur) which by the way also has a cease-fire with the government but isn’t being enforced. The Dinka are the main tribe of the south.

South Sudan

The Dinka have endured extreme hardships. Many have heard of the ‘Lost Boys’ which is a label used for the young boys, around 10 yeas of age that narrowly escaped the attacks of the north. The men fought (and mostly died) the women and girls were abused and killed. Over the course of up to 5 years these boys traveled in groups around the savannas of Sudan, Ethiopia, and Kenya. They covered thousands of miles. The ones that survived made it through countless attacks by army, and local tribes, as well as attacks by Lions and Hyenas. They had pretty much no food, or water. It is amazing as to what these boys survived. They were young and lacked survival skills, but somehow banded together and a few of them made it. I would recommend the book “They threw fire down on us.” As it is written by three of these lost boys that finally made it to the U.S.

Much of Sudan has be ravaged by war, and unfortunately there isn’t an end. When the cease-fire ends in Sudan with the SPLA and the GOS (government of Sudan). I believe South Sudan will look to secede and become it’s own country.

Because I’m going to Kenya soon there has been quite a few questions of concern directed my way. It’s nice to know that people care about me. But this also makes me want to explore things and put things in perspective a little bit as far as the danger element goes.

Of course there is always some level of danger. No matter what you happen to be doing. Mission work can be more dangerous, but not always considering the auto crash fatalities in the US. And car accidents are just one of many areas of premature death. Kenya has bad crime, this has always been known. Some 10,000 are murdered in Kenya each year. This is cause for conern. And Sudan is tragically still experiencing a long, and bloody civil war which is also cause for concern.  My point is this… Neither of these countries are ’safe-havens’. And they never have been. So there is always some assumed risk when traveling there. In perspective, it is not necessarly much more dangerous in Kenya with the current ‘unrest’. 500 people have tragically died. Mostly as a result of protesting, or some degree thereof. But I question how much more dangerous it is for a westerner to enter the country in the current situation as opposed to how things ‘normally’ are.

At this point I am not saying, that I or anyone should feel completely safe about traveling there right now. But more or less I just want to make known that as with any ‘mission’ trip to Africa (of anywhere for that matter), thee is an element of risk be taken by the person traveling. There is more risk now in Kenya. But what is the acceptable risk for someone trying to help others? This is debatable, and is luckily not something I will be doing on my own.

January 25th - January 26

• Fly from Grand Rapids to Detroit
• Fly from Detroit to Amsterdam
• Fly from Amsterdam to Nairobi, Kenya

January 27

• Stay at Mayfield House in Nairobi. Try to get acclimated to the time and weather.

January 28

• Fly from NAIROBI to LOKICHOGGIO via ALS flight ALS881
• Fly from Loki to Werkok via AIM Caravan and AIM Cessna 206

January 28 - February 5

• Work in Werkok, Sudan.

February 5

• Fly from Werkok to Loki
• Fly from Loki to Nairobi

February 6 - February 10

• Visit Masi area in Rift Valley area of Kenya.
• More details to come. Plans have not yet been made.

February 10 (evening) - February 11

• Fly from Nairobi to Amsterdam
• Fly from Amsterdam to Detroit and finally Grand Rapids.
• Will be flying home with at least my cousin David. My brother Aaron and Uncle Tim may head back to Sudan if supplies arrive.

February 11 - February 12

• Recover.

Outside of this mission we will also be in Kenya, attempting to find my ‘nephew’ my brother Aaron’s sponsored child. We believe he lives in the Masi area, which is supposed to be quite beautiful. This should make for a fun little adventure at the end of our trip that may last a few days.  We will be flying to this area on a small plane as it is difficult to travel by road in Kenya. The Masi area is in the rift valley, and is only about 100 miles from Nairobi where we will be staying. Although most likely we will be staying at least one night in the Masi area.

Sudan will be extremely remote. We will be taking a number of small planes to get to Werkok, Sudan. Near Bor along the Nile river. I’m looking forward to this adventure, and hope to accomplish much work on the hospital while I’m there. The people of southern Sudan are the Dinka. And it was in this area that many of the ‘Lost Boys’ came from.

Kenya, which is known for being a hub of westernized culture in east Africa, and is usually quite safe is experiencing some turmoil following the recent election. Here is an article from the BBC http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7167363.stm. So we will see what happens.

I’ve been getting my immunizations. Seven in all so far. So hopefully I’ll be able to resist getting too sick while over there. Although I think getting at least a little sick is probably inevitable. I will also be on a strict regimine of antibiotics and malaria medication while I’m traveling.

Basically I’m treating this an extreme camping trip in my preperation. And I really like camping rustic, so I’m pretty excited.  This will be by far the longest I will have been away from my wife Kelly. So that is going to be difficult. We have decided that to keep her busy while I’m gone, she will be remodeling the bathroom at our house. Something which she has been wanting to do for a long time. With the trip and the remodeling we will be spending a tremendous amount of money. But I’m very grateful that we have the resources to be able to do this.

More to come… I’ll keep you posted.

It is difficult to process these conflicting emotions. What is a person like myself, who claims to care about the environment, social issues, and the value of life supposed to think about hunting? On one hand, it doesn’t seem right to kill for sport, just for the sake of killing. But on the other-hand, in general, archery hunters seem to care more, and are personally attached to nature and the environment then their non-hunter counterparts. And what about that whole ‘overpopulation’ argument for hunting?

Working through this subject is far more difficult for me than one would think (from either side of the issue). It’s easy to be for or against hunting given only a little information. I have found most people, including myself to be in this category, an ignorance of sorts. In addition, I don’t think there really is a hard and fast right answer. There are extremes that are easily classified as wrong. And there are basic morals which most people will agree are right. But how these all work together can get pretty complicated (at least to me).

A few assumptions I have during this post are as follows… You will most likely not agree with me completely. I realize and am OK with this. I think it would be too difficult to write something like this if I were fixed on being ‘right’, and assume that what I have found is the ultimate truth. I would be cautious, and highly skeptical of anyone proclaiming this to be true about them-self. Another assumption is that you believe God values all life and creation, and has entrusted us to be the caretakers of this planet. Valuing our environment just as our maker does.

As I have mentioned, there are many areas of discussion surrounding this topic, and I’ll attempt to discuss the ones below, all the while getting into smaller areas of discussion along the way.

What is meant by the humane treatment of animals?

Many people don’t know the orgin of the beef or other meat that we consume. And as americans we eat far more meat that what is really necessary from a dietary standpoint. Beef, and other meats just happen to be the cheapest, most readily available food we have at our disposal. While there are certainly exceptions, a majority of the cattle in this country live in what I would call inhumane conditions. Because cows are so domesticated its difficult to imagine what the perfect living situation is for a cow. But so called ‘factory farming’ is hardly ideal. Massive farms farming massive amounts of animals with little or no care for the individual animals themselves. Between 10 and 20 percent of animals raised for consumption don’t make it to the slaughterhouse. But rather die from illness, injury, or stress. Most animals forces to live in crates barely larger than their own body. In addition, hormones are used to maxmize the benefit of each cow, but do more harm that good to the overall health of the cow. Not to mention the effects of these hormones and drugs on the human consumer.

http://www.hfa.org/

So how does this relate to hunting? Lets assume for a minute that the vegetarian debate is off the table, and assumption is made that for this given person, meat is part of his or her diet. The origins of what we consume is not common knowledge. Society has been sanitized to a certain degree not requiring someone who purchases leather, or any other animal product or bi-product to actually know how it arrived on the market. So is it then better for a man to respect, and feel the remorse of what life they are taking if they choose to consume meat. I would argue, at least in my mind that hunting exposes man to know what is being sacrificed. This then giving he or she the right to decide for themself whether they want to continue eating meat.

Need for violence, or respect for nature?

I’ve argued before how our culture in particular has suffered from the glorification of violence. So how does this effect the hunting population? Certainly there are many hunters who find pride in the taking of an animals life. Along with the glorification of violence is the desire for a gun. And what better way to rationalize owning a gun than taking up the sport of hunting. Let’s face it. Weapon are glamorous. They imply power, control, and authority, and these are quite appealing to the average man. With that said, many hunters undoubtably fall into this category, but there are exceptions. While I won’t condemn someone for rifle hunting, I have personally chosen to only hunt with bow for some of the reasons explained above. Not that archery is free of all the negatives that associated with a firearm. But it is difficult to be around people who are in love with guns. It kind of freaks me out, the way they hold, and praise this piece of steel. ‘The great equalizer’ gives men this kind of authoritative personality, and I find this a little annoying.

Wildlife Management

Still to write about…

And the issue of gun control.

So why don’t we level the playing field, and put a cap on what presidential canidates can use for campaigning? I know this isn’t an original idea, nor is it an unpopular one. I suppose the people who would disagree with me are those who have a majority of the money in this country; the same people who have a majority of the control in this country. And of course the last thing someone with control wants to do is give it up.

This country is about freedom, and this idea may go against what some may consider freedom. After all, maybe people should be able to raise as much money as they want. We live in a country of free enterprise, where anyone can make as much as they are able to do, so perhaps the same should apply to campaigning.

But there is another aspect of freedom that seems to be oppressed when no limit is placed on the finances of campaigning. Only people with money can run with a chance of winning. The rich get richer, and the modest don’t stand a chance.

Technically this subject gets far more complex, like how much money, who gets money, and where does the money come from. But maybe it’s time someone looks into evening things out by putting some rules in place to stop those with all the money from gaining all the attention.