Mobilization & Arrival (Part 3 of 8)

Mobilization & Arrival:

By: John Jefferson

After a Few Small Miracles - Mobilization and Arrival in Melut

First the Miracles…Having made many inquiries to people involved in South Sudan relief and missions, in the last week of February I decided I was eventually going to find a way in, and needed to get a visa.  I sent my passport to D.C. via Fedex Monday A.M. just so I’d have in and avoid panic during the minimum 4 or 5 day waiting time to get it processed and sent back in case something happened sooner than expected.  Well, sooner was Tuesday when Alan Kelley of MedteamsWorldWide contacted me about the possibility of being able to fly in with his team as opposed to using the March 9^th flight just to get to Melut.  This mean leaving that Saturday or Sunday at the latest.  He asked if I had my passport.  I told him I sent it in Monday, but had a contact in the embassy that was trying to help me expedite things.  As it turned out, while I was talking to Dr. Kelley the next morning, my wife texted me and told me my passport had arrived! (36 hours after sending it in, a new record!)  I was now on a charter flight in and out of Melut, and just had to trust God that the rest…all the rest of the plan would fall into place.

Once in Melut, the team met with several of the local contacts arranged by MTWW, which benefitted both missions. (Medical and food distribution)  Working from Juba, the capitol city, Pastor John Monychol also provided references to  two men of God, Pastor Daniel and Reverend Ayat Deng, who provided me with indispensable help in arranging for permissions, transport logistics, and foodstuffs.  Pastor John made tireless efforts to communicate with key contacts in Kodok to ensure that commissioners, officials, pastors, and even the King of the Kao-Nyaro people of Nuba Mts knew of our plan.  From the onset, the mission’s goal to purchase as much sorghum as possible and accompany it by land or river toward the zone of conflict with a three-day turnaround time was met with a bit of speculation.  Working primarily with pastors from Melut, Baliet, and Malakal (the latter two cities having been destroyed by the recent conflict), it was easier to insist that this was God’s plan rather than try to use any kind of logic or reason to justify such an impractical time line. Primarily because there really was no logical or reasonable explanation for why it would succeed given the known obstacles and many unknowns!

We began by getting permission to undertake the task and as well as an agreement from the rest of the team (MTWW) that it could be supported as an integral part of the overall mission.  This integration of missions beyond just allowing me to get a place on the plane turned out to be a critical success factor as already pointed out.  Dr. Alan Kelley and Tim Dillard were indispensable assets, along with the local NGO/church partners.