Welcome to Dinka planet as seen through my eyes

Hi my name is Jermaine Edwards. I’m a missionary/photographer serving in Africa. At the time I am living in Rumbek, Sudan. I have been living their since New Years day. So I am about two months behind as I start this blog page. Sorry if anyone cares...probably no one does. But I’ll try to keep this updated as much as I can.

Let’s see how can I catch my peeps up? O I kept a journal here let me get it, hold on......OK

I got it! The last job I had in the States gave me this journal book as a going away present, Thanks TRG! I will just pick certain things in my journal to catch you up, OK.

Welcome to Dinka Planet!

1/10/08 (when I wrote it)

I’m writing this as I go and as I feel so bear with me as I hop around in my mind a little bit. I came to Dinka planet during the dry season (mei in Dinka language) which for beauty in my eyes, is not the best time to come. It is a lot of dust and dirt, red dirt and dust similar to mars. Dead grass from the heat and gust of wind hits my eyes as I get off the ship (plane.) I can feel the hot temperature of Dinka planet that everybody has been telling me about. Wait hold on let me start at the airport. OK Dinka planet’s airport is not like other air ports, as a matter of fact it is not an airport but an air strip or dusty dirt strip.

The Ship(plane) that I was on the pilot tried to park next to another ship that had people getting off. The pilot of my ship, let’s call him Jack. Jack was cutting it close to chopping a few peoples heads off with his propellers!I never seen anything like this! But Jack park the plan than a Dinka comes yelling at him gesturing him to move somewhere else. So Jack is probably angry now because he has to maneuver this big ship to another parking space. He guns the gas, and red dirt goes flying from behind the propeller, a cloud of dust hits the people getting off the other ship and again almost chopping some heads off as the ship turns around. Than Jack guns the gas again blowing another cloud of red dust at the locals to the far right of the airstrip behind a fence where people cling to the gate as if they where watching a show or trying to escape.

So Jack finally finds a parking space further down the airstrip.

I grab my over packed book bag and my huge pillow covered with plastic, that made noise with each movement. I hit every stranger with it as I pass by getting off the ship. I thought I look so stupid with that pillow. I grab my camera bag filled with excitement and ready to see Dinka planet!