I have safely returned from my initial foray into Africa. Those among us that use the Philadelphia Airport will not be surprised to learn that the only holdup on my return flight was from Detroit to Philadelphia. Too much traffic in the skies around Philadelphia.
Over the next few entries, I will be posting pictures and information about individuals whose vocation/ministry/assignment is to assist the people of Southern Sudan, especially around Juba, in rebuilding their country. Note the word assist. I intentionally did not state they would build for them. Everyone I spoke with, their goal was to enable, train, empower the southern Sudanese people. They want to make the decisions about how their nation will look, how they will educate, and govern.
In this picture, Anne C. (Katie) Rhoads, MD, FACS, DTMH is speaking with her associate during one the break times.
Katie is from Kansas and two years ago felt called to start a ministry of instructing proper surgery techniques. The name of her organization is the Uganda/Sudan Medical Mission and it works closely with The Episcopal Church of Sudan. Katie gave me tips on how to live in Sudan, how to find assistance, where different compounds are located, as well as contact information.
Katie also gave me a long list of reading assignments. She told me where to get current news in America about Sudan on the internet. Here is some of what she offered, all of which are available at www.amazon.com:
Emma's War by Deborah Scroggins which in 1988 was made into a movie called Fortunes of War starring Emma Thompson and Kenneth Branagh.
What is the What by Dave Eggers that is only one story about "the lost boys of Sudan".
Cry of the Owl by Francis Mading Deng an elder Sudanese statesman who is currently at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, Maryland.
Two books by Allan Moorehead titled The White Nile and The Blue Nile, which tells the background of the discovery of the source of the Nile and has a lot about the 19th century history of the Sudan.
If you are interested in current events, try www.newsudanvision.com
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