Video of Visit to Nasir

Bob made a much-anticipated visit to Nasir in May together with some colleagues and visited some of the surrounding villages. We put together a short collage of videos and photos from the trip to show some of the highlights. 

Here is a summary of the timeline:

Thursday, May 16: Arrive in Nasir after 3-day flight delay. Unity celebration with churches working together to build a new church building in Nassir.

Friday, May 17: Begin long walk to Keirwan in the evening, camp in a village along the way

Saturday, May 18: Start walking at 4am to reach Keirwan at 6am. Bob was traveling with Rev. Paul Ruot, who served this rural congregation nearly 40 year ago, so it was a joyful reception!

Sunday, May 19: Sunday worship in Keirwan, including celebration and inauguration of the new church building. Start walking back to Nassir in the evening, camping along the way.

Monday, May 20: Complete the walk to Nasir in the morning, visit of historical places in Nasir

Tuesday, May 21: Visit to Kedbek, nearby village, to meet with people who knew Rev. Moses Kuac, the first Nuer pastor. In the evening, take a boat to Mandeng.

Wednesday, May 22: Visit to Presbytery meeting in Mandeng.

Thursday, May 23: Flight to Juba is delayed because of rain.

Friday, May 24: Visit people in Mandeng while waiting for flight on Saturday.

Saturday, May 25: Helicopter arrives and return to Juba. 

Bob described some of the highlights of this visit in our most recent newsletter. It was a meaningful time of connecting with people and learning more about how God is at work there and learning about the history of the church in that region. He was struggling with giardia most of the trip, but somehow managed the long walks by God's grace and was grateful for the generous hospitality and support of people there to help him through.

Small-scale entrepreneurs

A young man sells brooms, mops, and padlocks on the street.

Those things are heavy when you are carrying a quantity like this!

In Juba, one of the big struggles is lack of jobs with salaries and benefits. A majority of people earn some money to survive in the ‘informal economy’. People of all ages walk the streets with wares to sell – nearly every department of Walmart represented in what is sold by these peripatetic peddlers. Suitcases, perfume, all types of clothing, shoes, electronics, books, and cleaning supplies – they can all be found passing by on the street.

This young woman buys things in bulk and resells them
in her kiosk shop in a neighborhood market.

Then there are those who buy in bulk and repackage it, so that people can buy just the salt or charcoal or sugar that they need for today, because that is the money that they have. Others have a skill that they use to create a small business, like sewing clothes, making food, or cutting or braiding hair. If they do not have the funds to rent an official shop, they set up on the side of the road with a table and a few chairs, and each night put everything away into storage.

A tea shop by the roadside in Juba. Our friend Mary stores

all the chairs, charcoal cooker, and tea supplies at a relative's

house each night and sets them up in the morning.

Unfortunately, this ‘informal economy’ includes kids, and often it is the children walking the streets selling snacks or shining shoes. Some of them start after school, but for most if they are selling something it means that they are not able to go to school or do not have parents to care for them.  

A tray of roasted peanuts and other snacks,

which a young girl walks the streets to sell. 

Taking pictures on the street in Juba is not welcomed unless you have a relationship with a specific person, so we do not have very many pictures, but we hope that these few can give you a glimpse into the broad range of the 'informal economy'. We are so impressed at the hard work and perseverance by these entrepreneurs, and recognize the vulnerability that they live with.

Making money and recycling combined! These are used soda

and water bottles that have been collected on the street and are

ready to be sold to those who will use them to sell other things

like home-made juice or liquid soap.