I’m currently listening to my United Pursuit playlist (one of my favorite bands), still in my jammies. It’s a lazy morning, which gives me a great opportunity to get some writing done! I cannot tell you how life-giving this past week has been! Both Liasor and I were fighting some serious jet-lag (which was only intensified by all the flight delays during our journey last week), but I think we are finally becoming somewhat acclimatized. We’ve been getting loads of rest, and we’ve been venturing out into the city of Oxford more and more. And oh yeah, major update: we finally got our luggage last Thursday! What a relief because we were starting to get really creative with outfits and laundry. Since last post, we have a few more wonderful updates: Firstly, I am now working too! I know what you’re thinking: Last post I mentioned that I needed a break from the full-time work routine after feeling run-down. What happened to that, right? Well, that’s still the same. No full-time work here. But I’ve been blessed with the most incredible arrangement. Let me explain... This past week, I’ve been accompanying Liasor to Wendy Jame's house (Wendy is the scholar and friend who has arranged for Liasor's summer work). I mentioned in my last post that Liasor is helping to sort out some old archives and recordings which shed light on the history of the Uduk people. Much of the material comes from Wendy's earlier work as an anthropologist in the southern Blue Nile region along the Sudan/Ethiopian border. Each weekday evening, she and Liasor review the transcriptions and translations that he is working on and they discuss edits, working hours, and new developments. I have been tagging along, trying to absorb some of the material and the language. Some of the recordings are very light-hearted and include music and songs. Others are full of heavier content, describing the horrors of war, displacement, and loss of life. I have been humbled hearing stories about the Uduk people through their many movements and this has been an opportunity for me to learn a lot. At the beginning of last week I began to feel like there's still so much I need to learn and I wasn’t sure where to start. Maybe Wendy sensed that, because she unexpectedly suggested a wonderful proposition. She asked if she could hire me as well to type up her handwritten field notes from over the years (the ones in English of course) and help transcribe some of her recordings that were conducted in English. I told her I would be more than happy to help. This will give me the opportunity to learn more about the discussions she and Liasor are having and be a more active part of our meetings. I’m truly honored to do this. I’m planning to spend a couple hours each weekday on this work. Wendy James also gifted me with each of the books she has written regarding the Uduk people, which include excerpts from the stories that Liasor is translating, provide details on a lot of Uduk history and culture, and trace the more than 20 years of the Uduk people's displacement and movement from one place to another. She also gifted me with recordings of the Uduk Primer language books being read aloud, the same ones I started studying last summer with my two T’wampa teachers in Doro Refugee Camp. So not only can I continue to go through the language books to learn T'wampa, but I can listen to them on audio over and over, to help with pronunciation. I’m happy and humbled to not only be able to follow along with the work Liasor is doing, and discuss it with him and Wendy, but to also receive some great resources to learn more. Being a part of this work is also important because I know these stories mean a lot to Liasor and to his family - to our family. Only through reflecting now am I seeing that the Lord has given me incredible opportunities to learn more deeply about the Uduk culture, first through becoming a part of Liasor’s family over these past 5 years, then getting to live with his extended family in Doro Camp last summer, and now through being a part of this project which gives me access and a deeper understanding of Uduk history. This work is also helpful to us as we think about strategic plans for Uduk Hope Inc. And in everything, I've found plenty of time for my personal projects, time to explore the city, and time to think. This work has also increased my desire to do a personal ancestry study for my side of the family. I had wanted to do this for years, but after our visit to the National Museum for African American History and Culture in Washington D.C. last week I was given resources from the museum's ancestry library to do a deeper search. So that might be another project I start over these next few months. Outside of work, Wendy took us on a great tour of the city center of Oxford on Saturday to see the grand span of spires and university buildings, hear some of the city’s history, and to note some shops and cafes worth visiting. It felt great to finally make it to the city center! She also drove us to Kidlington, a suburb of Oxford to see where things are situated. It was a lovely morning tour, besides the swarms of tourists in the city center (at one point Liasor and I got out of the car and were engulfed in a group of tween study abroad students from somewhere in the E.U.). It was actually kind of frightening haha. Yesterday evening, Liasor and I ventured back out to the center city when it was much calmer, and we got a few great photos. Liasor and I have begun to find a rhythm of life in the city and we’ve tried a couple of great local restaurants and have visited a couple grocery stores to find our favorite. We also created a working budget (our Faith and Finance class would be so proud). Now the key is to stick to it. I’ve been cooking a little bit more, but I've also been enjoying some wonderful pre-prepared meals from our local grocery store that just need to be popped in the oven. Sing praises! And they’re actually tasty and filling for Liasor, hallelujah! I’m still working on my cooking repertoire. I think I’m a decent cook with a couple killer recipes up my sleeve, but I’m not super consistent in feeling motivated to cook. I’m working on that. Liasor is a great cook in my opinion, but he doesn’t enjoy cooking either. So we just kind of take turns and that seems to be working for now. But these pre-prepared meals have freed us up for some good productive work time and a couple Netflix binges. One of my favorite shows just dropped a full season on Netflix, and Liasor has notified me that Game of Thrones just came out again last night on HBO so I may have to start watching too if I still want to hang out with him on Sunday nights/Monday mornings. And also Ed Sheeran is in the new season, and he's been one of my favorite singers since 2012, so that's incentive. I’m also excited because I think we may have found a church to attend. A couple months ago, I researched a church called Trinity Church Oxford; it’s a Gospel-centered community that's a part of the City to City Europe network (which is connected to the Redeemer City to City network started by NYC Pastor Tim Keller). We tried to go to the evening service yesterday, but no one was there and the church building was locked. I'm guessing that they only have evening services during the school term when the university is in session. So we'll have to try again next week in the morning time. I’m excited to visit and hopefully develop a church community away from home. I’ve been doing my own personal bible study, and the following verse has been on my heart lately: Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2 Whether helping to restore someone lost in their own follies and mistakes or supporting someone who has experienced a lot of external pain, how do we carry each other’s burdens? This hit home for me because quite a few people in my life have experienced a lot of pain and suffering recently, so I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about how I can comfort them and love them well. There’s no singular answer, so even amidst this great time in Oxford, I’m praying to learn how to shoulder my friends’ and family’s burdens as they have done for me countless times. Please say a special prayer for our Uduk family members in South Sudan. I mentioned in my last post that violence recently hit Doro Camp and the immediate surroundings, and the results of that violence have caused our family great pain and a weighty burden. We’re hoping for changes in that area and for peace for the people. Life is full of hills and valleys, as our new favorite song describes so well (see the links below), but we believe next week will bring some more joyful moments. We’ll get to meet a visiting scholar coming into town to see Wendy, and then my birthday is on Wednesday (#26!). Wendy is giving us that day off so I have to figure out what I want to do for my birthday. At our wedding back in April, we had a date jar where guests could write fun date ideas on popsicle sticks. We couldn’t bring the jar with us on this trip, but we grabbed a handful of the popsicle sticks to get started with all the cool suggestions. I may have to consult them for birthday ideas. We also found a fitness center that is within walking distance from us, so we’re looking to join this evening and I’m planing to attend a lyrical hip hop class a little further out in the city tomorrow. Can’t wait! So there are quite a few things to be joyful about and look forward to. You've heard a lot from me this week, but next week Liasor will share some of his thoughts on our time in Oxford, the work he is doing, and the things that have been going on regarding family and friends. Stay on the lookout for that. Thank you again for your prayers and for thinking of us! Much love, Christine
2 Comments
Shamunda Junious-Concepcion
7/17/2017 09:27:29 am
Blessings on your new adventure in a bleased journey!
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Carol Babcock
7/17/2017 02:45:05 pm
It is so exciting to see the wonderful activities that have already begun there! They are so educational, yet fun. We pray for you all (Wendy and her husband, too, of course) regularly and look forward to your posts.
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