An Update from Chris & Karyn Ball! Serving with Mission Aviation Fellowship! December 2014! ! Getting Dr Jill to Old Fangak! If you’ve been following our blog, you’ve already heard about Dr Jill and the work she is doing in the remote village of Old Fangak. Recently, I’ve been busy doing a number of trips for her. Flights for Dr Jill are always filled with medical staff, medical supplies and food. She relies on MAF as Old Fangak is in a swampy part of the country with no road access, the only options in are boat or plane. Despite the fact that Old Fangak is a rebel held area, our landing was safe and uneventful, other than a few extra passes over the runway to scare oﬀ some cows. We received a warm and friendly welcome, thanks to our well-loved passenger Dr Jill. Jill Seamen came to Sudan in 1989, and has since spent most of her adult life here. As she stepped oﬀ the plane into the heat and humidity, there were handshakes and hugs of happy reunions. And then we got down to work. We unloaded rice, mattresses, iv stands and medical charts for the hospital, check out the picture below of Dr Jill carrying stacks of medical charts on her head. Once everything was oﬄoaded, it was time to reload and make the return trip to Juba. As I left Dr Jill and her colleague, a registered nurse, to care for those in need in Old Fangak, I took three passengers back south with me. The first was a young man leaving the village to go to high school. The second was a woman, pictured below in red and black, on her way to receive major reconstructive surgery in order to correct her lip, mouth and jaw. The third passenger, and by far the cutest, was the young son of the woman about to have life changing facial surgery, pictured below in Dr Jill’s arms. Just a few weeks ago I returned again to Old Fangak, this time bringing a man doing some work to begin drilling wells for clean drinking water for the community. I also hauled up more rice, as they had already run low on their food supplies. Each time I fly to Old Fangak, I’m not going alone. You are right there alongside me as we minister here in South Sudan. Dr Jill plans to celebrate Thank you for your prayers, this Christmas in the States. This will be the support and partnership. We first Christmas in 25 couldn’t do this without you and years that she will not our faithful Father. ! be in South Sudan. Photo Credit: LuAnne Cadd Thank you for standing beside us as we serve the people of South Sudan. God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. Hebrews 6:10 Family Update! Flying airplanes, jumping on the trampoline, and dinner guests - just a few of our favourite things! Will, now a year and a half old, is keeping us busy. Most days we are in awe of all that he is learning and achieving, though certain days we can’t help but wish we could drop him oﬀ at the grandparents for a few hours. He loves playing with his train set, running around outside with his friends, helping mommy bake and eating tons of snacks. His favourite thing to do is help daddy with jobs around the house, daddy even lets him hold his tools! Oh ya, he also can’t get enough of jumping on the trampoline. In October we enjoyed a week with two other MAF families at a cottage on the Kenyan coast. We all enjoyed the break, the sand and swimming in the Indian Ocean. Here in Juba we are feeling more and more settled in the program. We’re getting the hang of life here and enjoying treats like Ethiopian coﬀee beside the Nile. We’ve started to invite our MAF South Sudanese staﬀ, one at a time, over for dinner in order to get to know them more. It’s an amazing yet humbling experience as they share their life stories around our kitchen table. Another wonderful opportunity we’ve been given is to build a relationship with a fourteen year old girl from CCC, a home for orphans and street girls. Every Tuesday after school she comes over, we have fun doing everything from reading together, to swimming, to crafts. Her favourite thing to do is cook with me, which I of course love! She had her first taste of strawberries and broccoli at our house, sent to us from Uganda and Nairobi by some great friends. Will loves when she does play-dough with him, he is enjoying having a big sister around. This is good news, as we found out that baby #2 is going to be a baby sister! Thanks for keeping in touch. We love getting your letters, emails, messages and care packages! It means a lot to us! PRAISE! - we’re feeling settled in Juba! - new friendships! - fulfillment in our ministry ! - a baby sister for Will! ! PRAYER! - safety for Chris as he flies ! - continued healthy pregnancy! - joy as we celebrate our first Christmas away from family ! - peace for the nation, as we enter dry season there are rumours of famine and increased fighting ! - God’s hope and peace in South Sudan Merry Christmas We want to wish you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas. As Luke 2:14 says, we praise God and give Him glory for He is God in the Highest and deserves all our honour and glory. We also pray for peace and good will towards all here on earth. As we celebrate our first Christmas in Africa, this verse tugs at our hearts. Our greatest wish for you, and for the new nation we now call home, is for us all to glorify God and experience Christ’s peace here on this earth. May you enjoy celebrating this season. Enjoy turkey, shortbread and candy canes on behalf of us. Enjoy time with your family and friends. Enjoy the busy malls and bustling stores. Enjoy Christmas carols and church services. But most importantly, may you experience Christ’s glory and peace this holiday. And please, join with us as we pray for His glory and peace to reign here in the hearts of the South Sudanese. Merry Christmas & Happy New Year! Chris & Karyn Ball cball@maf.org | kball@maf.org |www.ckball.com | www.karynball.com c/o Mission Aviation Fellowship Kenya, Box 21123, Nairobi, 00505, Kenya Mission Aviation Fellowship Canada 264 Woodlawn Rd. W, Guelph, ON, N1H 1B6 1.877.351.9344 | www.mafcanada.ca