Robe of Many Colors (Part 2) – Genesis 37:1-36

My new friend in Kordofan Province, Sudan. 

 Continued from Part I:

We arrived somewhere in the vast Sahara Desert well after dark. I was given a simple, locally crafted cot on which to sleep and was directed to the sand dune that was my restroom. As I lay on my cot alongside my forty or more new friends I rested, looking at a beautiful open blue sky with stars so near I could almost touch them. I was reminded that I was the only Christ-follower and prayed for the opportunities God had planned for the next day.

I awoke early, just outside Al Manera Village, the largest of seven villages that are home to the Gawamma People. I concluded we had spent the night in an “open-air motel” that served travelers going to/from various directions with only sand dunes and the open sky for directions. We moved quickly to Al Manera Village where we all enjoyed breakfast which was porridge accompanied by some kind of flour baked on the inside of a very large pot. All ate with our hands. None seemed to consider manners or cleanliness. It was too good!

After a good breakfast we began our tour of Al Manera Village. It was home to the local Sheik in whose home we spent the next few nights…sleeping on the roof where cool breezes helped provide some relief from the heat of the desert. Various sounds of sleeping along with the sounds of some wild animals created the sounds of a desert concert!

Our first visit was a Madrassa, a school where one Imam was training 400 students from many dessert villages. The Madrassa was a large building with no desks, no chairs, but many copies of the Quran, and the sound of students memorizing. Students lived in tents surrounding the Madrassa. Some were typical. Some were nice/clean. I was shown the latter. As I was shown into one of the cleaner ones I, I heard a voice in perfect English say, “So, what do you think?” I was so shocked I replied, “I would like to know where you learned English.” I came out of the tent and my friend with the “robe of many colors” was gone. I missed the opportunity for which I had prayed but promised myself to be more attentive for the next opportunity!

Our next visit was to the village of Namosa, which was much smaller and the location of a small public school. The students studied under a large tree and on the sand. There were no desks! 

 

Next we were shown the kindergarten which was barely able to make any contribution to education. 

 

The principal of the school was beautiful and appreciated the desks we brought.
I apologized for the many broken desks. The principal wiped her hand across the desks and said, “This is good!”