November Update
Peace, Prayer, and Pizza…
November 10, 2009 
Dear Friends,“You will seek me and find me. When you seek me with all of your heart”. Jeremiah 29:13
To seek after God with all of our heart; what does that look like? How can you seek if you do not even know God? Every day I see faces, faces of people I do not know, but still seem to have an intense love for. I do not know there background, their struggles, their talents, their gifts… I don’t know them, but I do know who created them. Do they know Him? Sometimes I see faces of hope and joy and sometimes I see faces of hurt and pain. I can’t help but love these people. Yesterday, I was driving back from Yei and I saw a pregnant woman carrying a baby on her back and a bucket on her head and couldn’t help but wonder what is she seeking after? Has she found the One that says to seek after Him with all of His heart? Will she get that chance?
October was month of chaos and learning. I am learning everyday my limitations, my role, my expectations, and my new culture. As I am continually getting used to the food and culture I am being blessed with great relationships. We have started a ladies Bible study with a couple of other ladies on our compound and it has been so rewarding. We are studying Beth Moore’s Living Beyond Yourself and learning about the Fruit of the Spirit. This week is a study on peace.
This lesson talks about Christ as the portrait of peace. One thing I have learned so far, that is putting my attitude into perspective is to use the words of Beth Moore, “Christ had perfect peace in ALONENESS… in PROVISION… in the STORM… in the WAIT… and in the TEARS.” How amazing is that?! We serve and amazing God… don’t we?
Each term at E.C.T.C. we have Spiritual Emphasis day where all classes are cancelled and we have a day of prayer and fasting. It was an amazing day that all staff and students spent the day praying for E.C.T.C., our community, and Sudan. It is such a great privilege to serve with people who want to commit this place to the Lord.
Rice and beans although not bad, can get quite overwhelming for a westerner, when you eat it every day for two meals a day. Tara, Dorette, and I have decided that we would cook at least once a week. We usually stick with pasta noodles with herbs, onion, and the occasional lime or tuna. Nothing to fancy, but we appreciate it. This month we decided to get creative with our food experiments. Our friends Susan and Simon received a bread machine a couple of months ago, so we decided to try it out. We made pizza dough and then used Arabic tomato paste, cilantro (from our herb garden), onion, tomato, pepperoni (Tara’s mom sent it), and cheese (a miracle, because you can’t find cheese in Sudan, it wasn’t the best, but it worked a little), then we popped it into one of the families ovens and TaDa! Pizza! It was the most delicious pizza I have ever tasted! It was delicious, not because we are world famous chefs, but because it was a luxury. Later that week we also made onion bread, soup, and meatless tacos. I know how to make homemade tortillas now! All of those meals were amazing and thank you God for the little things like vacuum packed chicken and bread machines.
This month is a busy one for E.C.A. We are finishing up the first year of school. Yeah, we made it through an entire year! Our end of term exams will begin next week and our last day of school is November 27. The second year for E.C.A. will begin in January. This Friday, November 13, is our Christmas program and our students are doing very well learning their lines. They are really excited about it and I believe will do great!
I hope that this gives you a little bit of my life in Sudan. Remember, I also love hearing about what is happening in your lives. Your lives and the details are important to me and are exciting!
Happy Thanksgiving to you all! I am so thankful for each one of you!
Praises:
- We have people applying for E.C.A. teacher openings.
- The clinic worker I previously asked you to pray for, he is back and his daughter is in school and seems to doing well. Praise the Lord!
- E.C.A. has made it through their first year!
Prayer:
- The theology students and women’s program students as they finishing up their term and graduating next week.
- E.C.A. students and teachers as we finish up our first year of school.
- All of the theology students, staff, and families traveling that will be traveling for holidays in the next couple of weeks.
Thank you for all of your prayers, encouragement, notes, and support. I really appreciate it from day to day. Please, let me know if there is anything that I can pray for you about and please, keep me updated on your lives.
Can you all do me a favor? There are some of you that I do not have your email address (those of you I did not email this to). If you would like this update letter and other letters emailed to you, please email me your email address.
Have a great day!
A Product of God’s Amazing Grace,
Danielle Olson
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