And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” Isaiah 6:8

I just returned from a trip to South Sudan where I was helping some Bible translators with correcting existing electrical issues, installing solar power, and pouring concrete floors for their homes.

They are working with a tribe, which we can’t mention by name due to the sensitivity, that has 50,000 people, and they only have printed drafts of 1 John, Matthew, and Mark. Obviously, there is a great need to get the rest of the Bible translated into their mother tongue.

I began my journey by flying from Nairobi, Kenya, to Entebbe, Uganda, on a commercial flight and then taking an MAF (Missionary Aviation Fellowship) flight from there to South Sudan.

Here is a typical view of the landscape from the air. These

homes are called “tukals,” which are made of mud and have a grass roof.

Here is a picture of the “tukal” where I stayed while working on this project. These walls were made of brick, not mud.

My first project after arriving was to install a new change-over switch and ground the electrical system for a couple of single missionary ladies because they were continually getting shocked.

My next project was to install a solar panel system to supply enough electricity to run an entire household.

This included installing eight 160 watt, 24 volt solar panels on the roof of the missionary’s home.

And my final project was to pour several concrete floors for this same missionary’s house. Since there aren’t any local hardware stores here like Home Depot or Lowe’s, we had to

JJuullyy 22001144

AND I SAID, “HERE AM I. SEND ME!” ISAIAH 6:8

driven via a Land Cruiser from where I was in the country to Juba, the capital. Below is a picture of the “highway” upon

which we traveled 185 miles in 12 hours.

Due to the delay in getting home to Nairobi, I ran out of my anti-malaria medication — but thank the Lord, I was spared from catching this infectious disease. \

THANK YOU to those who were praying for my health and safety while I was in South Sudan. It was probably one of the most challenging trips I’ve made in the past 18 months we’ve been in Africa. YOUR PRAYERS do make a difference!

************************************** Jennifer continues to work at the national Bible translation organization here in Nairobi while I am away. Here she is with a Kenyan colleague at the office of Bible Translation & Literacy in Nairobi, Kenya.

PPRRAAYYEERR RREEQQUUEESSTTSS::

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EEtthhiiooppiiaa ffoorr aa mmiissssiioonnss ttrriipp,, JJuullyy 33--1166..

PPlleeaassee pprraayy ffoorr ssaaffee ttrraavveellss bbaacckk ttoo tthhee

ssttaatteess iinn JJuullyy..

TToo ggiivvee sseeccuurreellyy oonnlliinnee::

https://give.wycliffeassociates.org

“improvise” some of the tools to be used for the tasks at hand.

Below you can see a bull float I constructed, which helped smooth the concrete, and a concrete rake, which a local welder fabricated.

While I was there, many children would gather outside our compound gate each day

as I traveled to and from the work site. I’ve found that children the world over love to receive suckers!

A day before the MAF plane was to fly from Uganda to pick me up, we learned that they may not be able to fly due to a regulation by the Ugandan government that had grounded ALL local airlines, which included MAF.

I was then delayed five more days until a new route home could be found. I was

We are very excited to be coming home to the states July 24 — August 20. As previously mentioned, we have several church and home group meetings setup in various states. We’d love to see as many of you as possible during our visit. If you can make it to any of the below meetings, please let us know and we’ll get you further information. � Stow, OH — July 26th � Scottsbluff, NE — Aug. 3rd � Canton, OH — Aug. 9th � Blacksburg, VA — Aug. 16th

THANK YOU again for your faithful partnership in prayer and giving. We are only able to remain in Africa due to the kindness and generosity of our partners.

Mungu awabariki!

Gregg and Jennifer

July 2014 – page 2