Sudan, here we come.

Yesterday we traveled to Nairobi and back, mainly to meet with Lilly Klepp, the women who founded an organization called Harvesters with her husband, Dennis. They have been living in Southern Sudan for six years now, and have had a very fruitful ministry. We had lunch with Lilly and a friend of hers, and they told us some amazing stories about their ministry. They run a compound similar to the Hope Centers that Shane's Special Ministries creates. The orphanage in Yei consists of the orphanage itself, a full school, church, and clinic, where they minister to over 500 people on a regular basis. All of the buildings and interior were done by themselves (everything from chairs to bricks). When they first arrived there was nothing there, but they now have a massive support base and even recognition from some non-Christian companies in the states. One group even paid to have a dish installed there for internet service! We had a great time talking with her, and they are happy to have us come. We'll be there for a little over two weeks in the middle of April, and we are really looking froward to partnering with them and doing some evangelism in the area.
We really feel called to go there. The way everything has been working out and how well meeting with Lilly went, we can't wait to see what God has for us there. We were expecting a small orphanage run by five to ten people, but what we found was an amazing place that God has greatly blessed, already transforming the area. This connection could be used as a launching pad into all sorts of other ministries in Sudan, and we are so glad that the Lord has opened this door for us. I encourage you to spend some time on the Harvesters' website for more information, because they can report their work better than I can. Click here to go to their site.
There are two things we've learned could pose a threat to us. One is malaria. There it's really bad and they say we would be sure to get it if we didn't take pills, so we'll start taking them before we go (the malaria isn't bad here and we don't bother with medicine). The second danger is the LRA, who have recently had a presence in Southern Sudan. Lilly told us that one night they were actually urged to evacuate the area, although they never did.
Because the LRA controls the North of Uganda and South of Sudan, we probably won't be driving, and even taking a bus is dangerous. Our best bet is to fly, but we still need to do some work to find the cheapest way to do that. Thanks for all your prayers and support. I'll update again soon.