Abigail's confession

I love the story of Abigail rescuing her family in 1 Samuel 25. A servant warns Abigail that her husband Nabal has insulted David and refused to share food with him, and that David and his 600 men might be coming to attack them. Abigail acts quickly and secretly, gathering all the food she can find in the house to send to David. She accompanies the donkey loaded with food and meets David and his men on the road as they are coming towards her home, ready to attack. Abigail kneels down on the road and apologizes for her husband’s insults, even saying “count this wrong against me”. She asks David to forgive them and accept her gift of food as a peace offering. David is moved by her confession and does forgive, even thanking her for stopping him from murder and this act of vengeance.

Students at the Bible School take the opportunity

to confess the wrongs of their people

I have told the story many times in our workshops as an example of identificational confession. Abigail confesses the wrong done by her husband and asks forgiveness on behalf of her family. In our trauma healing class at the SSPEC Bible School a few weeks ago, we taught about identificational confession and then invited people to ask the Holy Spirit if there was some wrong done by a group that they are part of that they could ask forgiveness of like Abigail did. One man stood and confessed that some members of his tribe have attacked and killed members of another tribe in South Sudan and have contributed to ongoing conflict. Another student who is from the other tribe stood up and said that he had gone many years without seeing his brother. On the day when he was finally going to travel to see his brother, he learned that the brother had been killed by people from the other tribe. He was heartbroken and angry for a long time. Gradually, God showed him that he could let go of the hate and anger in his heart, and he began to forgive. Hearing the confession from a fellow student and the acknowledgement of pain and wounding was helpful to him in continuing the process of forgiving.

Preaching in a church in Juba

On Sunday I preached in a small congregation in Juba using this story of Abigail. As I told the story, I could see that the women in particular were impressed by Abigail’s actions to rescue her family from David’s attack. Like Abigail, Jesus stood in the gap for us, identifying with sinful humanity and dying the death of a criminal even though he himself had not sinned. Jesus’ death means that we can be forgiven and be reconciled to God. As Paul describes Jesus’ actions and attitude in Philippians 2:3-8, we are called to have the same attitude as Jesus, to look more for the interests of others than our own. As much as we try, I don’t think that will ever become natural or easy. But in gratitude for what Jesus has done for us and out of love for people around us, are there ways that we can identify with those who have offended and done wrong, confessing wrongs that have been done and asking forgiveness from those who have been wounded?

In South Sudan, there are 64 tribes and languages. Some tribes are large and spread out and some are smaller. Some tribes have contributed more to conflict and attacks against other groups. But there is no group that has not done wrong. When we are willing to acknowledge the wrongs done by our group, we are leaning in to the humility that Jesus calls us to, we are seeking the good of others before our own.

"To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you,

leaving you and example, that you should follow in his steps."

1 Peter 2:21

Team teaching in Juba

 

JEBS students

We are squeezed into a room that barely has space for the 15 students. The class meets in the evenings, as the sun is going down and the mosquitos are coming out. Each Thursday evening, we are impressed and encouraged by the students who make the sacrifice to come after work from distant parts of town to study the Bible and be trained to participate in God’s work in their communities. And each week, we come away feeling grateful for the animated discussions as the students engage on difficult topics.

One student shares collective losses experienced by his community

Since August, Bob and I have been team-teaching a class with two colleagues on trauma healing and well-being at the Juba Evangelical Bible School (JEBS), which was started this year by the South Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church. We are using most of the content of the Healing Hearts, Transforming Nations (HHTN) workshop, but adapting it for a once-per-week course.

Bob teaching

One week we discussed how we do not always receive love from our families in the ways that we need it, and how that lack of love can wound us or hinder us from experiencing God’s love later in life. Yagub, who was teaching that session, shared his own story of how he was forced to work and support his siblings as a child when his mother died and his father went into depression. Several people shared personal experiences of conflict within their families, and their hope for forgiveness or healing. One person shared how his father had refused to send his sister for medical treatment when she was sick as a child. Now, many years later, the father was sick and was looking to his children for support. The son expressed how he wanted to refuse as a way of avenging his sister, but he was asking God to help him to forgive his father and help him. It was a meaningful time of experiencing God’s love and forgiveness in the midst of our own brokenness and the pain in our families.

Discussion outside about some of the signs of trauma

Just as in the workshop, we often use dramas to illustrate a point, which prompts lots of discussion and reflection. We are grateful for a committed team of teachers and for the opportunity to share this valuable teaching with the students. Please pray for the students at JEBS to experience God’s healing and love through this class. We look forward to a great finish over the next month.

An exercise to remind us of the role of the church.

As Jesus said, "you are the light of the world."

Vacation in Kenya

In September we spent 2 weeks on vacation in Kenya. It was a special treat to have two family members come to join us for a fun and refreshing time touring some of Western Kenya.

Kakamega Forest was a highlight! We were awed by the tall trees that are hundreds of years old and the great diversity of species in the rainforest – more than 500 kinds of butterflies, more than 400 species of birds, and a few hundred kinds of bees. Bees! Waking up before dawn to hike up a hill to see the sunrise was an even more magnificent view than I anticipated – the mist settled among the tops of the trees, the mountains in the distance and the sky turning vibrant colors. God’s glory in creation was on full display. 

Watching the sun rise over the forest

This flower is commonly called 'touch-me-not', becuase the

pods make a surprising explosion when you touch them!

Bob climbed inside the hollowed out cavern of a tree
that was swallowed up by the strangler fig vine.

Then we had one night in Kisumu on the shore of Lake Victoria before driving down to the Masai Mara National Park. We were amazed the thousands of animals that we saw, including vast herds of wildebeest and zebra who were at the tail end of their great migration.

A herd of wildebeest

The bateleur eagle, a new and impressive bird for us

In the safari van

The lilac-breasted roller, always a delight to see

And then we stopped briefly at Lake Naivasha to experience yet another eco-system and terrain before returning to the big city. We bicycled through Hells Gate National Park, stopping to see the giraffes, antelope, buffalo, and rock hyraxes along the road. Then we hiked down into a gorge, amazed to see the water seeping through the walls all the way from Lake Naivasha a few miles away.  

Biking along the dramatic cliffs

A narrow part of the gorge. Watch out for flash floods!

We are grateful for this time to explore the diverse ecosystems of this neighboring country to us, and amazed at the abundance of species of plants and animals that exist that we knew nothing about. It was refreshing and encouraging to experience this with people we love and also to meet some wonderful people along the way, who introduced us to the beauty of the culture and nature of Kenya. 

A glimpse of HHTN in South Sudan

 I compiled a short video (7 minutes) to give an overview of the Healing Hearts, Transforming Nations workshop and what it looks like here in South Sudan. 

I would love to hear your feedback or questions about the video! You can use the comments or send me a message.

“We Feel Seen”

As I am halfway through writing my dissertation, it is helpful to hear the thoughts and advice of those who have gone before me on this journey. I recently sat together with Dr. Joshua Settles of the Akrofi-Christaller Institute of Theology, Mission and Culture (ACI) in Akropong, Ghana. Dr. Settles reinforced the notion that I am writing to two audiences: the committee at Stellenbosch University in the faculty of theology, and the peoples of South Sudan. As I have thought about our conversation over the last several weeks, I realize that by default I must be cognizant of the needs and interests of the committee; I also recognize that the peoples of South Sudan are the audience I value the most. On that note, Dr. Settles asked the salient question, “Will the peoples of South Sudan see themselves in your work?”

Recently I had the opportunity to sit with Reverend David Dach and Evangelist John Odhong, my two research assistants, both of whom have accompanied me on this research journey over the last three years. A few months ago I gave them each a hard copy of my first case study. I had shared my first case study with a few others, including my supervisor. Yet somehow, I felt the most nervous about the response and feedback of David and John as they represent the peoples of South Sudan. As they shared their reflections, it was clear that they had read my work, even multiple times. I am humbled by what they shared with me…

David and John and I together reviewing our work
(Nile River in background) 

David and John described how they feel seen in my writing. They not only named several key concepts and themes from the case related to the religious heritage of their peoples and the relationship between the missionaries and the South Sudanese peoples, they took those ideas and elaborated and expanded upon them. It seems that my writing took them to important places in their own thinking and reflections on the history of the Gospel being brought to their peoples over the last one hundred and twenty years. One important example is the missionary practice of giving those persons baptized a “Christian name.” David suggested that the missionaries gave South Sudanese converts names like James and David because their African names were too difficult to pronounce. He then asks the question, “Why were [we South Sudanese] not baptized with [our] family name instead of names like John, Peter, and Anna?”

David describes how things have changed. Serving as a pastor with the Presbyterian Church of South Sudan, David recently baptized his young daughter with her Nuer name, “Nyanath,” which means “girl of the people.” David contends that God does not object to this name; he also suggests that this habit of baptizing people in their local names should have been the habit of missionaries from the beginning. “To give African converts ‘Christian names’ (names in English, French, Italian, Portuguese, German), says David, “was an imposition of the Western missionaries.”

On a different note, both David and John appreciated the tremendous sacrifices the missionaries made coming to Greater Upper Nile, South Sudan. Some of the missionaries lost children to disease and some lost their mental and emotional well-being due to intense challenges, suffering, and deaths of loved ones. Yet, David and John enumerated the value of missionaries coming to live and stay in Africa as both sides welcomed one another as their own, sharing burdens and helping one another in various ways. They also emphasized the unique and special friendship between the two central figures of the case study, Pastor Moses Kuac Nyoat, the local Nuer agent of mission, and missionary Eleanor Vandevort, known to the Nuer as Nyarial.

The story of the friendship between Pastor Moses Kuac Nyoat
and Missionary Eleanor Vandevort is told in this book (link here)

More could be said from our time together reviewing my first case study, but in sum, I am grateful that my writing thus far has enabled those whom I am writing about and representing to “feel seen,” and thus feel empowered. It is also an important affirmation that I am on the right track with my research. In many ways, the core of my study is to help African Christians appreciate their “African-ness” and to stand with confidence as together we proclaim our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ to a broken world filled with cynicism and despair. To God be the glory.