"Trading Spaces"

Before joining Make Way Partners and moving to Sudan, in my unrealistic image of the missional life, I said I would "live in a tent" if that is where God led . . . little did I know, that would become reality.  When I saw the direction we were headed, living in a tent for probably a year with our 9 month old baby, the struggle to hold onto my American comforts and false sense of security began.  Over time, the desire to live a comfortable, “"safe”" life was overshadowed by our deeper call and God’s aching heart to help His children vulnerable to slave raiders, poverty, and disease. 

Many people have been amazed and interested in knowing, "How have you lived in a TENT with a BABY"?   I was often surprised by this question because life became somewhat normal and tent living didn't seem very strange. We found the experience valuable as we observed the culture and weathered some of the challenges the Sudanese face by living outside. 

After a year and 3 months of being in Sudan, our season of tent living has come to a close and we are very excited and thankful to announce that we have moved into our new house!!  It has been amazing to see and hear the excitement of the people on our compound and the guys building our house.  As we were preparing to move in, I passed the cooks and the guys building.  They talked of the chai (tea) and the grilled meat we would share together in our house. They informed us of the traditional house opening party that happens when someone moves into a new house, so we invited the builders and the compound over for grilled meat, chips (french fries), and sodas.

Our prayer is that our house would be a haven of rest and peace for us and those God would bring to our door.  We pray it may be used as a place for people to take part in our lives and us share in theirs.

We hope you enjoy our video tour!

Kevin, Shalene, and Abigail