Why I'm thankful for a humble bar of soap

13,000 kilometers, over 8,000 miles. That is the distance separating me in Vancouver, Canada from my colleagues, friends, and volunteers in South Sudan.

As you can imagine, having a “commute” this long comes with unique challenges. There are long stretches of time when I don’t hear from anyone in the field because of network issues, broken phones, or busy schedules. When I do hear news, the stories I receive are often updates or general statements. When I ask people for stories about how the Holy Spirit is at work, I usually receive something like, “People are coming to church and our congregations are thankful for this partnership with Kingdom Workers.”

Turning Heartache into Hope

Growing up, family time for Nyanpal wasn’t something that had to be scheduled on a calendar. It was a way of life.

The bond Nyanpal had with her mother and grandmother left an imprint on her heart to always think of others, “My mom would not do anything without praying first. My grandma was a big role model to us—a very hard-working lady, very rich with cattle. We had a big bowl that everyone would eat from together and sometimes my grandma would pretend the food was not enough, just testing us to see if we could share. It brought us close together.”