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.

Teaching One Another...

For the Church History IV (Sudanese/South Sudanese) course which I taught this semester, students gave presentation on the final day of class on notable figures and events from the last two hundred years in southern Sudan church history. Students created dramas, they sung and created songs in various languages, and they solidified in our hearts and minds many of the things we learned together over the semester, also teaching us things we did not know before. One of the final stages in the learning process is teaching, so I am so pleased to see my students as our teachers. The photos and descriptions below paint a picture of our time together.

Students dramatize the burial and funeral of Father Angelo Vinco, Catholic Missionary to the Sudan in the 19th Century. Chief Jubek of the Bari people, a rainmaker, far left, presides over the funeral which attracts 4,000 Bari people and lasts for eight days. The royal type burial for Father Vinco signifies the love the Bari people have for  Father Vinco, a dedicated missionary who learned the Bari language, provided reconciliation between warring clans and tribes, and killed a lion which was terrorizing the people. The students highlight the extraordinary self-denial of Vinco and his total surrender to Jesus, quoting the words of our Lord, 

"... unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds" (John 12: 24).

With the legacy of Arab slavers from the North, the Moru people had good reason to be suspicious of Dr. and Mrs. Kenneth Fraser when they arrived in Moruland. Yet, after winning the confidence and trust of one of the local chiefs who became their staunch advocate, as demonstrated by the student drama pictured above, Dr. Kenneth and Mrs. Eileen Fraser were able to conduct a holistic ministry far and wide of physical healing, teaching, and sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ. Moreover, they brought unity to a scattered Moru people who had been living in fear of one another and of outsiders due to Arab invaders. Because of Dr. and Mrs. Fraser, the Moru people have developed a reputation even to this day as healers (practicing medicine) and as self-starters and initiators of development projects in their region. As Roger Sharland writes in the book "Gateway to the Heart of Africa," it is almost universally understood among the Moru peoples themselves that it was "the love and dedication of Dr. Fraser and his wife Eileen that made the Morus become Christians."

Archibald Shaw was one of six Church Missionary Society (CMS) missionaries to arrive in Malek, southern Sudan, in the early 20th century. Two years later, Shaw was the only one remaining due to his "stickability" and his fierce love for the Jieng (Dinka) people. Unlike the others, Shaw recognized that the Jieng people needed patience, love, and humble service. 

In this photo, students dramatize Shaw humbly going before a local Jieng chief asking for a cow that had been stolen from his herd. The chief, in this case, chose not to administer justice to Shaw, a foreigner, whose hip was subsequently broken in a wrestling duel with a young Jieng man. History would vindicate Shaw when the grand-son or grand-nephew of the man who broke his hip would become the great Bishop Nathaniel Garang, a church leader who would provide hope and relief and a meaningful contextualization of the Christian faith to his people during the war years in the 1980s. Shaw's love for music and his sensitivity to local idiom in song creation would inspire the Jieng people of the Bor region to become the foremost authors of the most beloved Christian worships songs in the Jieng language which are still sung today, including the song "...in the day of devastation and in the day of contentment" composed by Mary Alueel Garang. As noted by historian and former missionary Marc Nikkel, Archibald Shaw was "The only white man with the heart of the Jieng." The Jieng gave Shaw the honorific name "Machour," a descriptor title of one of their prized cows.

Lual Ayei, represented by a student (above), was a wanderer looking for money so he could buy cows so he could marry. In his wandering, however, he found Jesus. He was the pioneer of a "people movement" amongst the Ng'ok Dinka of Upper Nile, southern Sudan, a movement marked by mature and respected men of an older age-set who became followers of Jesus and who were willing to give up their dignity and status to become followers of The Way of Jesus. Students dramatize a significant event whereby Lual Ayei goes into the Luak (barn) of Deng Ker and begins beating the infamous drum, a drum reserved only for serious occasions such as war. Because Lual Ayei did not die after beating the drum as everyone expected, many came to faith. The students sung songs in Dinka, and shared with us the song which Lual Ayei never failed to sing when entering a luak and engaging the people which says, "Truly brother, I have something good - better than money."

These students dramatize the Wunlit conference which brought together 2,000 leaders and community members from the Nuer and Dinka people in the late 90s for the purposes of reconciliation. Wunlit utilized traditional methods of reconciliation (e.g. slaughtering a bull), emphasized Gospel values of peacemaking, and used modern intellectual peacemaking techniques. It was highly effective and serves as a model for peacemaking in South Sudan.

These students share about the life and ministry of Catholic Bishop Paride Taban and Episcopal Bishop Nathaniel Garang, and about the role of the New Sudan Council of Churches. Both Bishops modeled faith under fire, brought needed relief to communities during war, brought international attention to the plight of the southern Sudanese peoples bombarded by Northern terror and aggression, and who empowered thousands of church leaders to care for the physical and spiritual needs of their people. The group who presented felt inspired to walk in the way of these two bishops, caring for the physical and spiritual needs of the people they serve and will serve in the future.

What a joy to learn alongside my students! These students will begin
their final year at NTC in 2022 - please say a prayer for them. Shukran! 

SSPEC General Assembly Update

 Last week pastors and delegates arrived in Juba for the South Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church (SSPEC) General Assembly. I met two men living in Nairobi who said they had not been to Juba for at least 5 years. Three pastors who lived in the far north region of Abyeyi arrived. Some church leaders in Juba called or wrote letters to people who might be able to help transport those who were still looking for a way to get to Juba. It was a last minute scramble against many challenges. Several regions of South Sudan were experiencing severe floods, so planes were not able to land and they could not travel by road. There was political unrest in Khartoum that closed down the airport. Everyone wondered if enough people would be there to hold the meeting.

The banner for the meeting

On Tuesday, everyone showed up at the Atlabara church to register. I enjoyed seeing small groups of people connecting and talking. People who had been colleagues in Bible school many years ago were thrilled to finally see each other again. I enjoyed meeting some of the people I had heard about and learning more about some of the rural congregations where significant Kingdom work is taking place despite many challenges.

Delegates gathering in the courtyard of the church

On Wednesday, the meeting opened with worship led by the local youth choir and a presentation of the vision and current status of SSPEC. In the process of confirming a quorum, several people raised the concern that because many people had not been able to make it to the meeting, that it should be postponed until a later date. There was long discussion about this, with several different people sharing their views. The leadership met together to assess and understand the desire of the participants. Finally, they decided to confirm the quorum and then determine how to proceed. A quorum was confirmed, and then the motion was passed to postpone the meeting. A vote was taken with a large majority agreeing to postpone the meeting until March when it would be more likely that other people would be able to attend. Several people told me that that they felt that postponing the meeting was the best way to promote the unity of the church, since people who were absent would feel excluded if they had proceeded.

The Moderator, Rev. James Par Tap opens the meeting

We are grateful to those who prayed for this meeting, and trust that God will continue to lead and provide for the unity of the church and for this meeting to be held. Since a General Assembly has not been held for nine years, there are many significant issues to be addressed, including the election of new leadership. Please continue to pray for God to guide and provide as plans are made for this meeting to be held in March.

Resilience amid Suffering*

Recently, on a Friday afternoon I went to see the Academic Dean at Nile Theological College where I teach, but instead I found three pastors and an evangelist gathered in his office, visiting from Abyei and Aweil, two areas bordering Sudan to the North, one area contested with Sudan. As we ate together, along with two of my students who are from this region, I listened to them recount stories of losing everything and starting over again, multiple times. I was at a loss for words, especially as I saw their joy and listened to stories of faith and faithfulness amid incredible loss, trial, and pain.

Rev. Myien Bol,
lead pastor in Abyei

 

Rev. Amiok Piol and Evangelist Kual Majak
serving one church and two preaching centers in Abyei 

Recently I spent a  Sunday afternoon with a sprightly elderly woman and members of her family who lost everything during the war and who experienced trauma. As I listened to this woman share her passion for reconciling broken communities because of her Christian faith, and how the example of missionary women inspired her to live a life of service and leadership, my friend David and I sat in awe and gratitude for the faithfulness of our dear mother in the faith and for those who have gone before her. So often I have felt unworthy to live and serve here in South Sudan, being surrounded by persons such as these, and by the living witness of those who came decades before. In living and serving in this land, I continually receive blessings and inspiration beyond measure. “Neshkur Rabuna!” We give thanks to the Lord.

*This blog post is a slightly adjusted Facebook post from Sunday, October 31st. 

Entering Jerusalem

 We bumped along a rocky, rutted dirt road past the outskirts of Juba city. We left our taxi at an intersection to meet some people from the church we were visiting and walk the last kilometer into the IDP (internally displaced persons) camp. It was only 6:30 in the morning, and we were grateful for the cool air as we started walking. We came upon a group of children, lined up and wearing uniforms. As we neared them, they started singing and we recognized Changkuoth, a former student at NTC who leads a significant children’s ministry in his church. After a joyful greeting, we followed the children as they sang and marched down the road and onto the small path that led into the camp. As we neared the church, two other choirs of older children and teenagers met us on the way. We were amazed at the number of children and blessed by their joyful singing.

Children's choir on the road, with Changkuoth directing them

The teenagers' choir leading the way into the camp

The church we were visiting is called Jerusalem, one of several churches in the camp. The pastor of the church is David, a recent graduate of NTC and someone who has become a friend and now also a research assistant for Bob. We were encouraged and inspired to see Chankuth and David using their gifts and empowering people in the significant ministry that the church has in the community. During the week, the church turns into a primary school. And while conditions are harsh and people are often discouraged by life in the camp, the church is a place for community, empowerment, and hope.

The children's choirs singing outside 

After several choir and congregational worship songs in the Nuer language, the children came in to sing. Several rows of chairs were stacked up and removed and adults waited outside so that the children would have room to sing – more than 100 in the choir! They sang in both English and Nuer, complete with dancing and gestures that showed the long hours of practice they had put in. 

The children's choir inside the church,
taking up nearly the whole seating space

Bob preached from Hosea, reminding us of God’s faithfulness and love despite people’s unfaithfulness. We encouraged everyone with the greetings and prayers of churches in the U.S., and we reflected together that God alone is the hope for our broken world. After church we were led through the narrow paths between the white tent-houses to one member’s house where a meal had been prepared. It was a feast – large pots of wal-wal and fish soup and piles of kisra. Everyone there ate their fill, enjoying the  special food that is beyond what they usually see in the camp.

Talking with church leaders after the meal

We felt humbled to sit and be present with people who have overcome many obstacles and persevered through so many challenges, continuing to praise God and trust God through it all. And it was a good reminder to continue to pray for peace in South Sudan and that people would be able to leave the camps. Please join us in praying for God’s provision and protection on all people in South Sudan. And please pray for students at NTC to be equipped to minister in these challenging situations.

Healing and Forgiveness in Malakal

 Malakal is a large city in the Upper Nile region of South Sudan, where the Presbyterian Church has had its base for the last one hundred years. We have been told that during the conflict in 2013 and 2016, Malakal changed hands at least five times as militia groups fought for control of the region. The city was destroyed, and most people fled their homes. One friend has described how he hid in the ceiling of his house during that time until he and his family fled to a refugee camp. The soldiers who occupied the area moved into his house, and he cannot return. Until now, nearly 35,000 live in an Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp near Malakal. Many of them have not stepped foot outside of the camp for years, afraid of being attacked by an opposing tribe.

A map of South Sudan that shoes Malakal in the northeast

When SSPEC leaders considered the best place for our reconciliation team to do a Healing Wounds Transforming Communities (HHTC) workshop, Malakal was a priority. Finally, a couple of weeks ago, our team was able to go to Malakal for the workshop. The workshop was done inside the IDP camp and included people from the Nuer and Shilluk tribes. There was a diverse group of men, women, and youth at the workshop, and three languages were used to make sure that everyone understood what was being taught. There is one united church inside the camp that worships in the Nuer language, comprised of members from seven different denominations. We are grateful for that tangible expression of unity, and glad that people from different backgrounds could all participate.

The facilitation team and the hosting pastors

William Tut is an experienced pastor, and was just trained a few months ago to facilitate this HHTC workshop. This was his first opportunity to serve as a facilitator in South Sudan. He reflected afterwards that he has realized that the church is the only thing that can really bring change in the country, and this workshop is a significant way of empowering the church in that role. The team found that many people have been significantly traumatized by the war that they lived through and by ongoing tensions and suffering. 

The Sunday worship service in Malakal

The day after the 'cross workshop' session where people are invited to take their pain to the cross, a few women shared that they felt physical healing and relief as well as emotional freedom. One woman said that she had gone to see doctors and had several tests done because she felt so much pain in her body, but they could not find any specific disease. Finally, during this workshop, she felt healed. We know that trauma affects us holistically, and often leads to physical pain or sickness. We praise God for this bringing holistic healing, and trust that their healing journey will continue.

The pastor confesses the wrongs done
against people living in the camp

The confession time during the Standing in the Gap session was also very meaningful. One pastor from the Shilluk tribe confessed on behalf of all who had committed atrocities towards those who live in the camp. People were moved by his humility and apology, and several were crying as they came to offer forgiveness. Another woman confessed the prejudice and fear she has had of the Anywaa people. When she was a child, her community experienced a conflict with the Anywaa people. After that, her family told her that Anywaa people would change into crocodiles or snakes at night in order to kill her people. She thought of Anywaa people only as killers. She said that now she has released those thoughts and can see Anwyaa as people like others. Omot, one of the facilitators and part of the Anwyaa people group, forgave her and thanked her for her confession.

A joyful celebration of the Holy Nation at the end of the workshop

We praise God for this opportunity to witness to God's love and power to heal after tragic pain. We pray that the healing journey continues in Malakal. Our team is doing another workshop this week in the city of Bor, and we welcome your prayers! 

The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. But I have come
that they might have life, and have it to the full.  John 10:10

Finding Creative Solutions

Water tankers are ubiquitous in Juba. They are operated mostly by migrant workers from Eritrea. One can find water tankers lined up along the Nile River, not far from where we live, siphoning water from the vast, moving flow of water from the highlands of Rwanda and Uganda, finding its destination in the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile River supports more than three hundred million people from cities and villages along this four-thousand-mile waterway. In Juba alone, water tankers ply the main roads and backstreet allies, supplying water to buildings and homes large and small.

Since arriving in Juba four years ago, I have been inspired by the creative solutions found by Rev. Santino and the leadership of Nile Theological College where I serve as a faculty member. When forced to leave Malakal due to war, the college campus destroyed, Rev. Santino and Rev. Michael Aban renovated a bakery in Juba and started up the college again with only five students, the number quickly growing to more than seventy-five within a couple of years. When more space was needed for classes and the chapel, they quickly erected a rakuba* which provided the extra space needed. The most recent form of creative ingenuity can be found in the purchase of a water tanker. Recognizing the need to diversify the income stream of the college, Rev. Santino and the administration decided to collaborate with a few international partners to buy a water tanker. This water tanker will be used to provide water to the college, to the homes that house faculty and staff, and to clients thus generating extra income for the college.

A few weeks ago we held a special chapel service of dedication. We gave special time for prayer and invited members from the College Council to celebrate this creative initiative. It was a day of celebration and committing the newest member of our community, the water tanker, into the hands of the Lord. Living amidst limited resources and ongoing challenges, we are regularly inspired by friends and colleagues who think outside the box and find creative solutions.

Chapel Service, August 11th, 2021

    

Members of the College Council are able to join us

NTC Water Tanker

Food and Fellowship
(we slaughtered a sheep, and ate it with 
kisra and kudra, two local favorites!)

*A rakuba is a simple structure than can be built quickly using sturdy grasses and pieces of wood for walls, often having metal sheeting or grass thatches for the roof.

Churches are multiplying!

A member of the South Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church (SSPEC) was displaced to the region of Wau, and did not have a church to worship in. She began gathering with friends to pray in her house. They wanted to start a congregation and sent a message to SSPEC leaders for support. The leadership contacted a pastor in Abyei, several hundred kilometers away, who spoke the same language and was willing to move to Wau to start the church. But SSPEC did not have funds to enable the pastor to travel to Wau. Finally, they found a portion of the funds and the pastor and congregation raised the rest. The congregation in Wau has since outgrew the house they were meeting in and is struggling now to find a place to worship.

People gather for worship in a new congregation

When leaders in the South Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church (SSPEC) are asked what their priorities are, church planting and evangelism consistently ranks at the top. There are many needs and many challenges in South Sudan, including conflict, famine, and economic crisis. But church leaders recognize that the foundation every person needs is experiencing the transformation, freedom, and love that life and salvation in Jesus gives. Through local congregations, the church can then holistically help people meet other needs such as finding healing from trauma, equipping and educating people, providing food relief, or promoting peace in the community.

SSPEC has been in South Sudan for about 15 years, and has about 50 congregations spread through the Eastern, western, northern, and central region of South Sudan as well as among refugees in neighboring countries. In the last two years, twelve new churches have been planted, both in rural and urban regions. When a new church is planted, it needs extra support for a period to get established and to meet needs such as getting land, purchasing chairs or benches, or supporting a pastor until they find a job in the area.

Women sing in worship at new congregation

In Juba, three pastors who were not serving congregations were encouraged to start a new congregation at the edge of Juba where there were not many churches. They worked hard getting to know people in the community and assess needs. They began worshipping and a congregation formed that included people of several different tribes.  They found that in the nearby market area there were many homeless boys who were not going to school. With some support from a few friends, they invited the boys to come for a meal and some teaching. Now the boys come to the church every day, and one of the pastors provides some teaching on trauma healing, literacy and the Christian life, along with feeding them a meal.

Pastors and members in the new congregation near Juba

Please consider joining this significant work by praying and contributing towards new church development in South Sudan. Pastors and church members are eager to share God’s love and establish new congregations. While support needs vary by location and situation, even a small amount such as $500 can significantly help a congregation in securing land and covering basic expenses. Current specific needs include paying the balance on land for a new congregation in Juba, constructing a temporary shelter for a new congregation in Wau, and supporting a pastor to relocate to a village in the Pochalla region that does not have a church. You can give towards this need through SSPEC's account with PC(USA): https://pma.pcusa.org/donate/E052148/. If you donate, please designate in the comments for "New Church Development". Thank you for joining in the significant work God is doing in South Sudan!

Mud bricks and thatch for roofing are ready to make a

temporary shelter for worship in a village near Pochalla.

Reunions

John Akwan

After Kristi and I finished our run on an early Sunday morning, we walked it off through our Hai Malakal neighborhood. Suddenly a young boy collecting plastic bottles standing in the middle of the road fifty feet ahead of us made a loud shriek as he saw us coming. He stood there, transfixed. He stood there in recognition. He stood there in silent surprise. The woman sitting at her corner shop shouted to silence the boy until she was arrested by the unfolding scene.

“Simon?” I asked, tentatively.

“John Akwan,” the boy asserted, standing in the road half-naked in the lightly falling rain. Yes, I said to myself. Of course, it is John Akwan. It was the meeting of souls long estranged, a poor discarded child in the heart of a war-ravaged land and two white persons of privilege from a far off place. We exchanged pleasantries and I explained that we had returned to Juba. I moved towards the boy and grasped his arm in fellowship and loving concern.

John responded, “Ana gait” (I am here, I am around).

As we turned to walk on, the eyes of the woman at the corner shop turned towards the ground. “John Akwan, you are alive!” I whispered to myself. “You are here,” I thought. Praise the Lord! I wondered then about the others, particularly Grovener and Simon. These lost boys who live off the streets of Juba live in my heart. Thank you, Lord, for John Akwan.


Daniel Mawer

My phone rang. I answered it. The other side felt garbled, difficult to distinguish voices which seemed somehow in conversation with each other and not with me. Suddenly, I heard my name. Then I heard the voice on the other end identify its owner, “I am Daniel Mawer.”

“Daniel Mawer?” I answered in grateful surprise and joyful recognition. Daniel was at a loss for words. Nuer men do not cry, but it seemed that my former student was choked up. I gave him a moment to recover.

“Teacher, you are back in Juba.”

Yes, I replied. Daniel gave me a short update on his life. Though our conversation did not last more than ten minutes, I walked away from my phone feeling blessed, reconnected to the life of one of my dear students. Over the next few hours, I recalled special memories I shared with Daniel – my first meeting with Daniel at the college in 2017, going with Daniel to visit his pastor in the hospital, getting caught together in a massive rainstorm and huddling together under a large Neem tree, visiting Daniel’s church and Daniel treating me afterwards to a Nuer specialty called “Wal Wal” at a local eatery.

Daniel shares about the challenges of life in Juba,
October 2017

Stephen

Stephen was one of my first students. Classes had become a challenge for Stephen, being separated from his family. The then Acting Academic Dean and I, along with other faculty members, were sympathetic to Stephen’s plight. Stephen faced many challenges but pressed through them all. On graduation day, Stephen’s smile remains indelibly imprinted on my heart.

Together with Stephen on graduation day, 
December 2018

     

When our current Academic Dean mentioned the name Reverend Stephen as the one we were picking up on our way to church last Sunday, I wondered, “Is it same Stephen?” Sure enough, it was my former student. Stephen packed into the car and we enjoyed exchanging greetings. Stephen leads a ministry to street children at a new church plant on the outskirts of Juba, teaching the children about trauma healing and giving them simple instruction which they would otherwise miss, not being in school. Stephen leaves his home every day at 6am, Monday to Saturday, to take three buses across town to go and minister to these abandoned children.

Various people support Stephen in different ways. Stephen expresses gratitude to now have his family with him in Juba, and he expresses profound gratitude for the gifts given to sustain him and his family and his ministry. I am humbled by Stephen. I stand in awe of his posture of service and his heart of gratitude.

Of course, there are many other “reunions” I could recount since our return, but may these three serve as a sampling. God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good. Amen!

Listening and learning

We are grateful to be reconnecting with colleagues and friends in Juba! There are several people who have come to our home this month and shared their joys and struggles of the last year. These conversations have been a valuable window into our friends’ lives and the common struggles of life in South Sudan. Here is a snippet of what we have heard…

We sat with Pastor Awadiya, who has planted a new church on the outskirts of Juba. She has worked with the community to get a primary health clinic started and a clean water source, and also to equip a new primary school. She described how God has opened doors and given her the strength to overcome obstacles to meet these significant needs. She is known and respected throughout the community now, and many people have been drawn to the church as a result of seeing her hard work to meet the needs of the community.

Pastor Awadiya in our home

We also enjoyed a visit from Pastor Toma, who lives in the rural region of Pochalla. He shared the encouraging ways that different churches are working together in Pochalla on initiatives related to trauma healing, evangelism, and education, and regularly worshipping together. He has felt the challenge of addressing educational needs in his community for several years now. Most public, government-run schools teach only sporadically because the teachers are paid a salary (about $5 per month) that does not make it worth it for them to teach. There was not another option of a school in his neighborhood, and he realized his children were not being educated. So Toma asked one organization to donate chalkboards, and the government contributed some textbooks, and with the help of some volunteer teachers they started teaching children under the trees.

Teaching students in Pochalla

Pastor Toma teaching in the school

In this first year they already have 250 students in the primary grades, which shows the demand in his neighborhood. But convincing the parents to support the teachers and the school has not been easy, because many of them were not able to go to school themselves and do not comprehend its value. Toma described the closing ceremony of the school year, with government representatives, parents, and students present. As the top students in each class were recognized, the parents started to appreciate that maybe their children were learning something worthwhile. We prayed with Toma for God’s provision of uniforms, a building, and support for the school.

The closing ceremony of the new school in Pochalla

Daniel, one of Bob’s students at NTC came over and we enjoyed seeing pictures of his visit with his family in a refugee camp in Sudan. He described the 5-day journey just to reach the camp from Juba, which included a flight, several buses, and a border crossing. You may have heard us describe Daniel’s harrowing escape from Malakal with his wife and young children during the crisis of 2013. Daniel has persevered in his studies and is finishing a few classes this semester that will allow him to complete the degree he started eight years ago. Even in the few months of his visit in the refugee camp to see his family, Daniel was active in discipling youth in the church and teaching in one of the schools in the camp. He shared the burden that he has for his people and how he looks forward to serve in the church full-time, even with the challenges in the refugee camp.

Daniel, on the left, with the Media Team at NTC in 2019

We are so inspired by these friends of ours, and excited by the ways that we see God at work in them and through them. It truly is a privilege to get to connect with them and learn from them here in South Sudan. We pray that God continues to help us keep our ears and hearts open to the people around us.

“I have seen you”

Recently on a Sunday afternoon I was sitting at the edge of our couch, dusting one of our two statues representing the pastoralist Turkana people of Northern Kenya. I heard a voice in the hall followed by an exclamation of surprise, then a knock at the door. When I opened our door, shock, disbelief, and joy were felt on each side of the threshold. “Susan!” I exclaimed. “Bob!” Susan cried out. Kristi joined the circle and we reveled in each other’s presence. Several times during that chance encounter Susan said, “Rabuna fi,” “the Lord is here.” Susan, a former cleaner in our building, happened by the building that day and saw me from the hallway. We were so blessed to experience her presence and her friendship again. Susan saw us and then acknowledged the presence of the Lord. It was a holy moment.

Dusting statue of a Turkana pastoralist

Kristi with Susan (middle) and other woman also
named Susan, August 2017

In The Primal Vision, a seminal work on African Christianity, John V Taylor describes the delight and wonder of human relationships in Africa. As he describes the agreeable and amusing account of twelve-year-old Nantume paying him a visit while ironing a shirt in his hut, the reader is mesmerized by the glory and beauty of human interaction and connection. Taylor describes Nantume's curiosity in the hut, coupled with her sense of feeling at home as she leans her body into the wall, "as relaxed as a young antelope asleep in the sun.” Taylor describes how in Africa one can enjoy the presence of another without pressure or feeling hurried or troubled, whether in conversation or in silence. 

I confess that I often struggle with this concept. I feel like I need a purpose when I visit someone. I also feel like there should be conversation when perhaps silence and just being present to one another is the more agreeable option. Taylor describes how in Africa a visitor is never an interruption. In the introduction to Taylor’s book, theologian J.N.K. Mugambi depicts how the interaction between Nantume and Taylor is about presence. Nantume closes her visit with the words “I have seen you.” The primal vision, as Bishop Taylor describes it, is a world of being present to one another, of seeing one another. It is the universe understood in the language of “I and Thou.” While such an encounter between Nantume and Bishop Taylor sounds simple, Mugambi describes it as the core of the Gospel, that even as God encounters us in Jesus Christ, Christian mission should be first and foremost about acknowledging the presence and integrity of others, of 'seeing the other’ as modeled by Jesus in his life on earth (Taylor, 2001).

Recently I enjoyed a long phone conversation with a friend and colleague. Over the course of the call my friend mentioned how he had observed Kristi and I during a recent Zoom call. It was obvious that my friend was present to the moment and present to us, even over Zoom. He then asked an important follow up question from his observation which allowed our relationship to take a deeper turn towards mutual understanding and appreciation. At the end of our conversation, I felt like my friend could have said “I have seen you.” Another colleague, John, described for us an experience he had in Ghana. Being present to the moment and the people around him, he was able to deeply connect with a young woman who was troubled. John spent time with this young woman and spoke words of life, hope, encouragement, and strength to her. At the end of their meeting, truly, John could have said “I have seen you.”

The beauty and glory of the Gospel is that Jesus sees people. In fact, during his pubic ministry here on earth, Jesus chose to see the very persons whom others had overlooked or chose not to see. He saw the ostracized Samaritan woman at the well. He saw Zacchaeus up in a tree. He saw a man with a withered hand in the synagogue on the Sabbath. He connected with each of these persons, offering them in their personhoods dignity and value. 

Jesus sees the Samaritan woman at mid-day
Artist, Jesus Mafa (Cameroon) 

Jesus, unhindered and unhandicapped by self pre-occupation, worry, and the emotional trauma which seemingly perpetually beleaguer us, lived in the moment and was fully present to those around him. I confess that too often I fail to fully live in the moment and be present to others. I pray for growth in this area. I pray that after each meeting with someone, planned or unplanned, I can say, “I have seen you.” May that be so for all of us who attach ourselves to Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Preparing for General Assembly

 Our church partner, the South Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church, is busy preparing for a  General Assembly in October of this year. This is a time when elders, pastors, and representatives of all the congregations come together to share their joys and challenges, elect leaders, and connect as part of the body of Christ. Long meetings do not sounds too exciting, but it really is significant for isolated congregations to feel connected to a body larger than themselves – to support one another and have a voice in the decisions being made.

According to the church constitution, a General Assembly should be held every two years. However, because of civil unrest in South Sudan, it has been more than eight years since the last General Assembly was held. Many of the congregations are in rural areas, and some among refugees displaced to nearby countries, which makes it difficult, expensive, and sometimes dangerous for representatives from those regions to travel.

Finally, though, it appears that South Sudan is becoming more stable and that people could travel to Juba. The leadership has set a date in October and started planning and raising funds. They hope to be able to cover some of the travel for all the representatives, but it is a daunting task. The total budget is more than $100,000. But rather than let the funds needed be another reason to put it off, they are pushing forward in faith, trusting that God will provide or help them find creative ways to overcome the shortfall.

If you would like to support SSPEC and their congregations in South Sudan by contributing towards this effort, you can do so through their account at PC(USA) here: https://pma.pcusa.org/donate/make-a-gift/gift-info/E052148/#

Please join us in praying for this meeting, that funds would be garnered to bring leaders together so that decision can be made and elections can be held, and that all would transpire in the spirit of Christian fellowship and love.

SSPEC leaders meet with a representative

from the World Council for Reformed Churches

"Why accept Covid vaccine?"

Two and a half weeks ago I received my second vaccination from Pfizer. I am now fully vaccinated. One of the reasons we decided to stay in the U.S. longer before our return to South Sudan was for this reason. Kristi is also fully vaccinated.

Second Vaccination, Pfizer

Around the same time I received my second dose, Rev. Philip Obang Akway, our colleague and friend in Juba, received his first dose of Astra-Zeneca. He posted on Facebook on April 10th, “My first dose today in Juba Military Hospital with Coronavirus Vaccine to fight COVID-19. Safe and effective.”

Rev. Philip's vaccination card (from Facebook post)

As a church leader, Rev. Philip feels motivated to help South Sudanese understand the vaccine and to know what to do. He attended a vaccination workshop for health and social workers, introducing him and others to the vaccination process for Covid-19. The idea for the workshop was to bring helpful information which would help facilitate the vaccination effort in South Sudan. Around the time of this workshop, 132,000 doses of Astra-Zeneca arrived in Juba. After posting about his experience of receiving his first dose, Rev Philip posted again that same day, responding to the feelings of uncertainty and unease expressed by many in Juba concerning the vaccine. He began his second post with the question, "Why accept Covid vaccine?"

Rev. Philip described how some South Sudanese prophets, Biblical teachers and preachers devise different theological and spiritual ideas which will he believes will confuse Christian congregations. In response to the expressed concerns and misinformation, Rev. Philip shared some of the information he learned at the workshop, substantiating the vaccination effort. He shared several interesting and helpful tidbits, such as:

The COVID-19 vaccine will weaken coronavirus which currently threatens the church from gathering for worship
The COVID-19 vaccine is scientifically studied, and even made from physical elements which God has created, citing the goodness of God’s creation (Gen1:31), noting how “the devil did not create anything”
The COVID-19 vaccine is free, and that no one will be forced to take it
The COVID-19 vaccine is similar to other vaccines we already take

For those still concerned, he encouraged his Facebook followers to “purify the vaccine [in their hearts] and bless it to be good for your health through prayers." He thus encouraged faith coupled with tangible action. Rev. Philip’s efforts met some resistance on Facebook. One person commented how they (e.g., Bill Gates, China) are bringing harmful things to Africa to destroy the people and take their resources. Sadly, due to the tragic legacy of colonialism and current economic and political neo-colonial realities, Africans are justified in feeling this way, exhibiting mistrust to foreign entities. Yet, Rev. Philip maintains his well established argument for choosing to get vaccinated. Tragically, 60,000 doses of Astra-Zeneca went to waste in South Sudan because of negative messaging and uncertainty.

 Rev. Philip, after vaccination, with mask

   hanging below chin (from Facebook post) 

Whether in South Sudan, the United States, Brazil, or elsewhere in the world, it feels like getting vaccinated when one has the opportunity to do so is the better half of wisdom. As many have said already, the potential side effects of the vaccination are acceptable in comparison to the havoc Covid-19 can potentially wreak on the body. Being vaccinated will not only bring a level of protection to our own bodies, it will help slow the spread of this virus which has brought so much destruction to lives and livelihoods across the globe.

I found this website helpful for addressing concerns about the vaccine: https://getvaccineanswers.org/. If you have reasons to be concerned regarding any specific health issues you face (e.g. potential allergic reaction), please see your primary care physician before getting vaccinated. Alternative therapies exist, but I do not believe they substitute the robust effects and proven efficacy of major vaccines being administered in the U.S., Europe, and parts of Africa. We need one another to get through this pandemic, saving both lives and livelihoods, and helping us all to achieve a level of normalcy. May the Lord guide us collectively, and guide us individually in our attitudes, actions, and decisions.

When I survey that wondrous cross

 As we approached Easter this year, I kept thinking about Jesus' death on the cross. I considered the various ways his death and resurrection impact us and the meaning it holds for us. I realized that sometimes I have assumed that the whole purpose or significance of Jesus' death on the cross was that Jesus became the sacrifice to pay for our sin. But I now appreciate that there is much more to that significant act of suffering than our atonement, as significant as that is.

I started compiling a list of verses in the Bible that I could think of that addressed Jesus' death and its meaning for us. I tried to sort them into categories based on what they described about the meaning of the cross. Disclaimer here - this was my personal exercise, not an authoritative or exhaustive review. I know that there are books written about the significance of the cross; Bob even took a class in seminary called the 'Theology of the Cross'. But that is why I wanted to share this personal exercise with you - hoping that it will prompt you to reflect on this too and you will share which verses or categories have been particularly meaningful to you or commenting if you think something should be added or changed. Please do let us know what you think!

In our healing and reconciliation workshops, a significant session is a practical exercise where we identify wounds or pain we have been holding on to, and give it over to God, knowing that Jesus on the cross not only took on our sin but also 'takes up our suffering' (Is 53:4). This Easter season seems like the perfect time to take a fresh look at Jesus' death and resurrection, and the significance it has for us.

 

Meaning/significance of the cross, of Jesus’ death on the cross

1. Atonement: God giving and becoming the sacrifice to pay for our sin. A death that was because of and for our sin. Jesus’ death on the cross opens the way for us to be righteous, if we accept that Jesus’ death alone makes us righteous.

a.    Isaiah 53:10-11 Yet it was the Lord's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.

b.    John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

c.     Romans 3:23-25 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. (NLT)

d.    Romans 5:6,8 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

e.    2 Corinthians 5:21 (CJB) (Complete Jewish Bible) God made this sinless man be a sin offering on our behalf, so that in union with him we might fully share in God’s righteousness.

f.      Ephesians 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.

g.    Col 2:14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.

h.    Galatians 3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”

i.      Heb. 10:1-10 (10) And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

j.      1 Pet 2:24  “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”

k.     1 John 4:10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.  

2. A death of humiliation and injustice, a giving up of self for others.

a.   Isaiah 53:4 Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted.

b.    Matt 16:24, Mark 8:34, Luke 9:23, Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.

c.     Philippians 2:5-8 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross.

3. It is a symbol/reminder of our unrighteousness that caused Jesus to die. It is offensive because the cross reminds us that our attempts to be righteous by following laws or rituals are in vain.

a.    Gal 5:11 Brothers and sisters, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished.

b.    1 Cor 1:17-18 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

4. An expression of God’s love and grace for humanity.

a.    John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.

b.    Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

c.     Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

d.    Ephesians 2:4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions.

e.    1 John 4:10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.  

       5. A means of reconciling people to relationship with God and with each other.

a.    1 Corinthians 5:17-19 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.

b.   Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

c.   Eph 2:16 and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.

d.     Col 1:20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.    

6.    6. An invitation to follow in Christ’s footsteps of suffering, to die to our sinful natures, to be made new.

a.    Romans 6:6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin – because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.

b.    2 Cor 5:15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

c.     1 Peter 2:21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

d.    1 Pet 2:24  “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”

7.    7. Victory over sin and death, accomplished by Jesus’ death.

a.    Col 2:15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross

b.    Heb 12:2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

8.    8. Through the cross, Jesus gives us healing and freedom. “By his wounds we are healed.”

a.    Isaiah 53:4-5 Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.

b.    Mark 10:45 - For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

c.     Galatians 5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

9.    9. Jesus’ death establishes him as ‘high priest’/administrator of a new covenant between God and people, one based on faith

a.    Jeremiah 31:31-34 and Hebrews 8:10,12 This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God and they will be my people. …For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.

b.   Luke 22:20, 1 Cor 11:25 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.

c.    Hebrews 5:8-10 Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered, and once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.

d.     Hebrews 7:22 Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant.

e.   Hebrews 9:15 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance – now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.

10. Jesus’ death on the cross is an act of solidarity with suffering and oppressed humanity, and a way that we can know God understands what we are going through.

a.    Isaiah 61:1-2, Luke 4:18-19 The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free,

b.   Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.