After 31 hours of travel and a mad dash through the Addis Ababa airport, thankfully, “Africa time” meant the plane waited for us. Our flight finally arrived in Gambella on Saturday, and what a welcome we received! Church leadership greeted us with open arms at the airport and escorted us to the Trinity Compound, a home to the church, a seminary, and a college.
We were met by the Nuer community, who surrounded us with joyful singing and dancing. They even performed ceremonial foot washing in a profoundly moving gesture of hospitality. We witnessed a group of young people performing a traditional Nuer dance, complete with costumes. This event was a fascinating glimpse into the vibrant life of the Neur community here. It highlights how the refugee village lifestyle adapts to life in the city.
Sunday’s worship was unforgettable. For 3.5 hours, we joined in exuberant praise led by several choirs.
The energy and joy were contagious!
Pastor Roger and his brother, Pastor Doyle, shared a powerful message about Christ’s ascension and His leadership of the Church, which was received with heartfelt response.
We were part of the dedication of a new library for the seminary and college. In the afternoon, we began our teaching sessions and library organization efforts—more on that in our next update!
Please keep us in your prayers:
- For stamina (we’re writing this while fighting sleep!)
- For the training of leaders and pastors for the LCSS, many of whom are among the original 700,000 who fled South Sudan in 2013–2014
- And for our upcoming visit to one of the recent refugee settlements
We feel incredibly blessed to be here and to share this journey with you. Stay tuned for more stories from the field!
Pastor Roger Theimer
Pastor Doyle Theimer
Kasey Harvey
Brandi Waugh
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