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.