Three reflections from our recent trip to Uganda

Reflection #1

Morning glory in Jinja, Uganda, source of the Nile. Skilled fisherman ply their trade along the currents. Cormorants, young and old, are fishing also. Four otters come close to greet, as monkeys fly from limb to limb in the canopy above. Storks walk the green carpeted hill and stand atop Acacia trees. Kingfishers skim the surface and pilot the peninsula.

The sun rises over the hills, casting red glow, emanating into golden glory. The fulsomeness of creation invites awe, wonder, and gratitude. Jesus’ healing presence and power is fully present; I am here to rest and receive.

Peace like a river, attendeth my way. It is well. It is well. It is well with my soul.


Reflection #2

The African fish eagle has planted herself firmly on top of the bountiful tree in the center of the river, no one her equal or rival. She is clothed in splendor, her demeanor regal. Her white cap and breast reflect the sun-kissed rays of evening glory. Her coat contrast speaks stature. She is Queen of the River Nile.

Three kites circle through with their evening meal. They find various perches to enjoy their catch. The pied kingfisher drops down from his shallow perch to the water only to bounce back up again, almost apologizing for his unsuccessful ventures. Did he catch anything? Maybe after his third try. The open-billed stork joins the party, coming in for landing like a 747, natural, but always a bit awkward, like he had to teach himself to fly.

Evening song, a creation hymn to YHWH’s glory.


Reflection #3

It occurred to me in a moment’s notice. I went out the door to listen to the Muslim call to prayer. As I sat in the dark on the steps to listen, I looked back on the Nile River flowing below, and then gently gazed at my guesthouse, a small circular hut with a dim light inside. I had been enjoying reading about an early 20th century missionary/anthropologist to Northern Rhodesia (modern day Zambia) whom I admire, indulging his cultural insights and his love and respect for African peoples. I realized in that moment how different my life is from that of family/friends back the U.S. Yet, I am grateful. Ours is a good life.

At long last -- SSPEC General Assembly

Last week the South Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church (SSPEC) held their General Assembly (GA). That sounds like it would be a rather dry and officious meeting, but the long days were filled with lots of worship, prayer, animated discussion, laughter, and of course reports. One thing I enjoyed most was watching people from different parts of the country rejoice in seeing one another again. The repeated handshaking and expressions of delight and surprise as people from remote regions reconnected showed the deep level of connection that people had when they were all displaced or studying together in Khartoum.

The worship team was present through long days of meetings

Members greeting each other

Since Presbyterian structure includes governing by elders and by group decisions and not by a single authority, the General Assembly is a significant governing body and where a lot of the decisions are made and reports are given. Representatives from all SSPEC congregations in South Sudan and also of South Sudanese in neighboring countries are expected to attend. For SSPEC, it was the first time since 2013 that they have been able to hold a General Assembly, due mostly to insecurity in South Sudan.  They had hoped to hold the meeting in October, but it was postponed because many people were not able to attend.

Delegates in the meeting

I was told by a number of people that discussions would get heated and it might feel like people were about to start fighting, but then everyone would cool down and the matter would get resolved. “That is just the way it is in GA”, they said. And sure enough, I watched discussions play out like that. People were given an opportunity to ask questions or to share their opinions, and after a period of discussion there would be a conclusion or they would move on. I appreciated that even those who disagreed about a certain topic could laugh together later. 

Praying for pastors to be led and enabled by God's Spirit

On the last day of the GA was the election for new leadership. The executive committee is now completely new, and the previous leadership showed humble grace in stepping aside and supporting the new leadership. Everyone I talked to seemed pleased with the election and to support the leadership, whether their choice of candidate had been selected or not. The day after GA ended, the old and new leaders met together to hand over the responsibilities and to share information. At the end of the week, the entire old and new executive committees came together to pray and to express their hopes for the church going forward.

The former and current leadership gather together at the church offices.

Thank you to those of you who prayed for this meeting, and please continue to pray for wisdom and vision for the new leadership as they seek to encourage and enable the spiritual mission of the church. We pray that God’s people here will grow in unity as they focus together on Jesus Christ, our source of true life and peace.

New house in Juba

One morning this week we watched the sunlight stream through the windows and listened to the birds sing and said "this is amazing! We are so glad that we are here!" Another evening, we sat outside in the moonlight with a cup of tea, enjoying the cool breeze and the gift of being outside. We have been in our new house in Juba for one month now, and are slowly more settled and organized.

Enjoying the morning light in our new house

After 4 1/2 years in our previous apartment, packing up felt like a big project. Several friends and even one of our neighbors pitched in to help us transport our stuff 1 mile down the road to the new house. We were a little embarrassed at all the things we have accumulated in four years! 

suitcases and boxes ready to be moved. The piles kept growing!

We now are in a small pre-fab house - about the same size as our previous apartment, but divided into more rooms. This means that Bob and I each have an 'office', and we even have a spare bed. Anyone want to visit? We are still working on curtains and decorations, but we see progress! We have enjoyed getting to know some of our new neighbors, as well as people who are working in remote parts of South Sudan who pass through for a few days.

picnic tables and green space by our new house

One of the perks of our new location is that Bob can walk to work in about 10 minutes. We have also started taking more frequent early morning walks, trying to take advantage of the cool and quiet mornings for getting outside. Now we are hoping to find a neighborhood tea shop to visit, although we really miss the people that we met at Mary's stall in our old neighborhood!

We put up a sign over our door that says
beyt'a amin, "house of faith"

Unexpected Blessings

Last month David Dach and John Odhong, my two research assistants, came to our home and we enjoyed warm fellowship over “franzowi,” coffee with heaping spoonfuls of milk power and sugar. We took time to catch up, each of us sharing the ‘one thing’ that most energized us and blessed us over the Christmas and New Year holiday. For David, it was the birth of his daughter. For John, it was the reconciliation that happened at church on Christmas Day. For me, it was the unexpected blessings I experienced through the persons I met and friendships I made during our time in Kenya.

Kyama Mugambi is a church leader, a scholar of world Christianity, a PhD holder, a teacher, and a graduate of Africa International University (AIU) in Nairobi, Kenya. We met for lunch at Java House, a popular eatery with multiple locations in Nairobi. We shared on a wide swath of issues, ranging from friends and family, to racism and systemic issues related to poverty and injustice, and finally to our respective research concerns. Kyama is earnest, thoughtful, articulate, and wise. He demonstrated an interest in me, sharing important contacts who could assist me in my doctoral research. Kyama also invited me as his “personal guest” to a PhD Seminar in early January whereby I could meet his mentor and friend, Professor Mark Shaw. Our two hours together went by quickly, and I was sad to break company.

Dr. Kyama Mugambi
Photo from ANVIL, a CMS online periodical

 

Being at AIU I was able to meet many wonderful people, from Káren who worked security at the library, checking my bag in each day, to Elvis who prepared tasty meals with creative flair, to Yolandè who is a visiting scholar from Central Africa Republic. When Abyot and I met in the PhD Carrels in the library, I felt an instant connection. Abyot is from Ethiopia and he is doing his PhD at AIU. Abyot and I sat together under the teaching of Professor Shaw for the PhD Seminar; we would encourage each other early each morning as we went running together. The day after our course finished, Abyot cooked a traditional Ethiopian meal for us as we celebrated Christmas together (January 6th for Ethiopians) and discussed his upcoming wedding in June; Abyot asked me for any advice concerning marriage. I was able to share some thoughts on the blessings and the challenges of marriage.

Abyot and I 

True to his word, Kyama put me in touch with Professor Mark Shaw and I was able to attend the PhD Seminar he taught. While the content of the course was wonderful, and some of it will undoubtedly find its way into my dissertation, the greatest blessing was meeting with Professor Shaw at Art Cáffe, a fun restaurant down from AIU which has the best “Dawa” (lemon/ginger tea) in Kenya. Prof Shaw took an interest in me, inquiring about our service in various countries in Africa to our current ministry and life in South Sudan. He responded to one of my vexing research questions with a thoughtful, sensitive, pastoral attitude. Being with him made me feel like I was in the presence of a caring father with whom I could pour out my heart and share my mind. From his gentle wave as he stood up, watching for me upon arrival, to his final goodbye, I felt the presence of a man dedicated to servants of the Gospel like myself.

AIU PhD Seminar with Professor Mark Shaw

(though I am a student at Stellenbosch University in South Africa,
I was graciously welcomed into this learning community)
  

Life is interesting. You never know who you will meet and where those interactions/conversations will take you. I am grateful for the “unexpected blessings” of new acquaintances and friends from our time in Kenya. Thank you, Lord.

Residents

One of the more arduous and frustrating tasks of life in South Sudan is keeping track of and renewing our visas, work permits, police registration, and alien registration. We are reminded often that we need the approval of various departments of the government in order to live and work here. Last week was another cultural lesson and test as we navigated renewing our visas.

Bob went to immigration on Friday to request one-year visas, expecting it to take one or two hours. We have renewed visas many times, so we thought we knew what was required. But when he arrived they gave him a long list of required documents that would be needed. As they discussed what was needed, Bob became frustrated by the sense that they were trying to convolute the process in order to get a bribe. But he decided he would bring the documents if that is what was required. A young man who had jumped in to help Bob through the process pulled him aside and agreed that the staff were not going to be satisfied with the added documents. The young man communicated with someone in leadership in immigration, and took Bob to him. David* assessed the situation, and then told Bob that instead of one-year visas, he could help us get two-year resident permits for the same price. Bob accepted this new path forward. They just needed a letter from our church partner requesting the permits and some copies of other documents.

Saturday morning, our colleague Rev. Philip wrote the letter from the church and we took it to immigration along with the other documents. We asked David at the office how long it might take – one hour? “More than an hour,” he said, “I’ll call you.” There was no phone call on Saturday, so Monday morning we call to check in. “Come around noon,” he says. Both of us put our plans on hold for Monday and head over to the immigration office at noon. When we arrive, we learn that he is at another office, and should be back in an hour. We go to a restaurant nearby and have lunch to pass the time. We call David and he tells us it will be another hour. We pass the time, starting to have doubts about this process. At 2:00 we call again and David does not answer his phone. We return to the immigration office and sit at a tea stall in the street, seriously doubting whether David is actually working on these permits and realizing that we have no documentation for the money that has been paid. Finally, around 3pm, an immigration officer comes out and recognizes Bob from his visit on Friday. Thomas* reassures Bob that David is at the head office and is working on our permits. Thomas is sympathetic concerning our doubts, and it feels like he is an angel sent to reassure us. Thomas shows us pictures of his family and his farm in the village as we pass the time. Thomas helps us finally get in touch by phone with David around 4pm, and we meet with David just as the offices are closing and arrange to meet at 10am on Tuesday.

Tuesday, 10am sharp, we show up and meet David on the street outside the immigration office. He explains that a director in immigration had a family funeral on Monday which all the staff attended, which caused his delay. He explains the various approvals and signatures that remain outstanding for our residence permits. We learn that David is also a pastor and he encourages us as a brother in Christ. He tells us that they will call us in the afternoon for fingerprints. We leave for some mid-day meetings and return in the afternoon. It is close to 100 degrees in Juba during the day, so we are sweating as we walk the dusty roads and taking the bus across town to and from immigration. Finally, after waiting a few more hours in the afternoon, we are called in for fingerprints at around 3:30. The office staff, helpful now that everything has been facilitated by David and they have seen us around for four days, inform us that all the signatures have been done and all documents are ready except for the ‘smart card’. We are told to come back in the morning to pick up everything.

Wednesday morning, Bob gets a call from Thomas to confirm that the smart cards are being printed and that everything should be completed soon. We go by Rickshaw to the immigration office, hoping and praying for a good conclusion to this process. Bob goes into the small room where our passports and documents are held and receives our passports with the new residence permits, smart cards, and receipts. He shares his appreciation and a parting word with the staff, using a Dinka phrase that he learned. Finally, the process is complete, and just a few hours before we are to board a plane for Nairobi!

Us with our new 'smart cards' that show residence status

(pic taken in Nairobi - notice our sweatshirts!)

We are grateful for many answered prayers and the people God sent to help in that unexpected process. Now we are officially residents…but still aliens. We were reminded of the value of seeking out our colleagues for help with these government requirements, something we failed to do this time. We were also reminded that we should always ‘expect the unexpected’ and be prepared to be patient. And mostly, we are reminded of our dependence on God to work out all these details and that the privilege of living in South Sudan alongside our colleagues is not to be taken for granted.

*Pseudonyms.