adventures of jocelyn: December 2012

Christmas has been rather uneventful...but the past month has been pretty fun!! It all started out with the youth workshops and then a trip was planned to go to Juba the capital city for a week and then to Yei to visit another BVSer for a week or so and then back to Kajo Keji for Christmas...that all happened with a little hiccup...i was suppose to leave on a Monday but the Sunday before i got sick...so sick i vomited in town in the street and found out i had Malaria and Typhoid...so the trip was delayed a few days...I am fine now but i was sick for a few days with no appetite to eat and therefore no energy. I however have gotten all that back and i am back to normal. I went to Juba the capital and had a marvelous time...with a few exceptions...its blazing hot there, i slept in a giant room with rats that made noise all night but i got to eat some pretty amazing food. which was a good thing especially since i went having no real appetite but the food was amazing, chicken, french fries, bread, milk the simple pleasures that i don't normally eat where i live. so it was really good to be there while i gained energy and got to enjoy the people and city for a few days. The conference that took place was also a really good time. i got to just attend and be a part of the people and that was relaxing and to spend time with my friends was definitely a bonus. then we traveled to Yei. another bumpy road trip in the sun and dust. but once i arrived in Yei i was greeted warmly by a HOT shower....something i haven't had since being in South Sudan. Yei was a time to meet the BVSer and learn about possible future placements working with youth and being able to settle somewhere and that was really good. it was also good to hang out with another lady from the states and just talk about frustrations and the joys of being in South Sudan. it was a good time. i am really grateful for my friends though they may be few i know they are genuine. it was also a good time to just relax and get ready for Christmas. so after moving around and seeing new places i headed back to Juba to wait for some visitors coming into the airport with 2 people who had never entered the airport before. it was a really good time to be a tour guide in a place that i don't really know but be able to share my knowledge of traveling. so Moga and Mawa and i sat there for hours waiting for people to come but having no idea when they were coming....the good thing was we got to eat some good food and just chat and spend time together. it was good. i headed back to Kajo Keji on the 23rd and arrived late at night just in time for Christmas...the sad part is....my Christmas packages and cards that i know have been sent have still not arrived...i just pray they will and i will hopefully enjoy them eventually.

so as i head into the new year i am constantly reminded of how blessed i am. God has truly blessed me in so many ways. the fact that i can currently live my dream and do what He is calling me to do at this stage in my life. He has blessed me with an amazing family at home and friends who are always there to listen and talk when skype lines up. I am also blessed by my friends that I'm making here and the ability to serve God in so many different ways. and to imagine that the Savior of the world was born for me...he was born in a humble way and has truly been the living example of love to so many people and if i can only be able to show the smallest amount of that love to others i will shine so brightly. I pray that God gives me that ability to truly represent Him to everyone. i also hope and pray that we truly are living examples to the people around us that God is alive and that Jesus is born!! that is my wish for you all...that even if Christmas is over we never forget the birth of our Lord and Savor. Because without Him nothing is possible...He is the true breath of life and love. and for that i am truly grateful!!

Life has come at me fast....South Sudan is very similar to Zambia in the things people eat, and the way that things are done. so therefore i have been kept busy...i have put some pictures as people have requested to see my updated life so here they are. I am currently in Kajo Keji, South Sudan working with some youth programs and doing some Youth Conferences in different churches and church communities. I have had the opportunity to meet some so far great friends and i look forward to building those friendships and learning to know more people and seeing where God it taking me in this adventure. I landed on the 6th of November and set out for Kajo Keji on the 7th early in the morning. i was pretty tired but had no other option but to sit on a bus for 8+ hours on horrible roads and in a packed bus. It was a realization that i was alone in a place where i knew no one and headed to a place where i had no idea what i would be doing or who would even pick me up from the bus station. But God had it all worked out and i even have a small room with an actual toilet and water most of time and lights that normally work. it is a blessing and a good transition into the future here in South Sudan. i have started working with some pastors in youth conferences and being able to teach and see God moving is amazing. i have already slept in a tent in the bush, slept in a church with about 50 other people and it was probably smaller than the youth room at HCOB...so when you think you are cramped while sleeping....imagine that. but God has it in his hands and i am trusting Him to take care of me in such situations. i Celebrated Thanksgiving by visiting a friends family in the village and eating ground nuts and sweet potatoes. it was really a good time. so God is really showing me friends and knowing that they are truly following Gods call in their life and that is a blessing. so here are some pictures of the happenings and life here...