Bridge Celebration

Well, it happened. The bridge is officially opened. It was a beautiful day and full of surprises. There was a flurry of preparations as we purchased 2 bulls and 4 goats to adequately celebrate. We were honored to have the county commissioner and another official from the state come and participate in the opening.

Enjoy the pictures.

People gathering for the celebration.

Barnabas Loma, our translator for the celebration

Children crossing.

What is a celebration without food? The many colored cloths are covering 'kisira' which is ground sorghum made into a pancake and used to dip into soup.

Stephen Adamu, SIM Missionary, leading a few songs in celebration. We sang a couple songs.

I got the opportunity to speak. It was a great time sharing about the challenges and successes we had in building the bridge. I was able to share from John 5:24 about Christ being our bridge from earth to heaven. It was the perfect opportunity.

The name of the bridge is Kubri Waheda or Unity Bridge. It is our desire that this bridge brings peace and unity to the village of Yabus and those in the surrounding area.

What's Left? Kharama!

Dear All,

The only thing left is to celebrate (kharama). It should be a good time to remember the work that has been put into the bridge, celebrate success, and give praise to God for keeping everyone safe and bringing the needed finances together. Here are a few of our teammates with a goat that we have purchased in the market. We have bought 2 bulls and 4 goats. We look forward to a great day of celebration.

WHEN?

Thursday, July 16. If you find yourself close to Yabus, stop in and celebrate with us. You are welcome.

Lori Hofmeister, Kristen, Anter Deng, and Stephen Adamu with one of our celebration goats.

First Crossers

This post is dedicated to a couple pictures of those who are crossing for the first time. There is always a mixture of curiosity, excitement, fear, and nervousness as people (and animals) attempt their first crossing.

This lady has incredible balance to carry a load in her hand and on her head while crossing a swinging, bouncing bridge. She did it with utmost grace.

Let's just say this goat spent very little time on his feet and most of his time being dragged across the bridge. Oh well, you can't please everyone.

Chainlink Found!

Good News! I searched the compound again to see if any chainlink fence had been put anywhere by mistake and I just found scraps. Not enough. I did what I should have done in the first place and prayed that somehow God would make chainlink appear or stretch out of nowhere. It wouldn't be the first time he made something like this happen. I know he could do it with fish and bread, why not chainlink? He answered in a different way however. Two men showed up and said they were looking for the bridge builder. I accepted this flattering term and they then explained they had brought some wire down from the north. I had ordered some straight wire that could help give the chainlink some stability so I said I would come to the market and collect it. When I arrived at the market, I found 12 rolls of chainlink fence in the man's trailer! He had somehow misunderstood me (probably my poor Arabic) when I asked for wire and had brought chain link instead. Not bad. It turns out we don't need the wire and we do need the chain link. Thank you God!

The GAP!

I found out today that we did not get enough chain link fence. I thought I ordered 170 meters, plenty to cover the 74 meter span, but I guess I was wrong. I went to a neighboring organization, GOAL, to see if I could borrow some but they didn't have any. I am not sure what I am going to do. The roads have almost completely closed to the northern towns so I might be able to get an order in real quick.

Bending Top Posts

We bent the pieces of rebar that connect the bottom cable, the cross beam and the top cable together. It was a challenge and we didn't do a very good job. Perhaps some suggestions from any rebar bending gurus out there.

Wood Decking Finished!

I am thrilled to say that Yabus now has a crossable bridge. It is none too soon either. I woke up this morning to find the river was swollen from the rains in the night. Students coming to our primary and secondary school bravely crossed the unfinished sections this morning and when they returned home in the afternoon they found the wood decking finished. The six guys working with me are excellent and I have enjoyed the enthusiasm they have for doing the work well.

My boys were excited to try out the new bridge and especially enjoyed the small bounce the bridge has. The fencing has not been put on the sides yet so I kept them close.

It is also fun to see people cross for the first time. The children have especially taken well to traveling 20 feet in the air. Here is Canberra, fellow missionary, crossing for the first time with several children.

A picture from the South side including the ramp and finished deck