Sunday worship in Yuai

In March our healing and reconciliation team conducted a workshop in the rural village of Yuai. On Sunday after the workshop, we worshipped with the congregation there, and I want to share a few pictures and descriptions of the congregation here.

Early Sunday morning, we followed the narrow dirt path through the village towards the site where the South Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church (SSPEC) meets. The roof of the church had been destroyed in the flooding some time ago, so while they worked to replace it they were worshipping outside. There are not many large trees in Yuai, so they met at 7am while the sun was still low to maximize the shade. Mats were spread on the ground for people to sit and they were nearly full with people when we arrived. A large choir of youth and children sat on one side, and the women’s choir on the other side.

Gathered for worship on Sunday morning

There was an air of excitement at the service because of all the visitors. Pastor John Tut, who started these congregations before going to Juba to study at Nile Theological College, was part of our team. He was eager to reconnect with church members after two years of being away. There were also members of sister congregations in other villages who had come for the workshop and were there at worship that day. And then there was our team of 4 facilitators who came from Juba to conduct the workshop. The congregations in Yuai had felt isolated and forgotten as they suffered attacks by a neighboring community and floods that caused repeated displacement to other areas. Now, they expressed how grateful they were to be remembered.

I appreciated the exuberant worship and the sincere prayers. Several people from those who were visiting took their turn greeting or sharing a word of encouragement. One man from a distant village, Elder Thomas, had sold his own cows to support the building of three different churches over the years. But this day he lamented that he was old now and because of the war he had no more cows to give. But he testified of God’s faithfulness and his joy in serving the Lord.

Elder Thomas shares a word of greeting. He walked for

several hours from his village to reach the church.

It was wonderful to see Pastor John Tut’s care for the members and the generous gifts that he brought to them. With his own money he bought four Bibles in the Nuer languages to give to the churches (one Bible for a whole congregation to share). During the service on Sunday morning he presented the women with several pieces of purple cloth. This is the ‘uniform’ of the women of the church and an identifier that they are part of this church. All women in Nuer culture traditionally wear a cloth in this way, called a lawa. 

Pastor John Tut (center, in white) with some
womenleaders in their new purple clothes (lawas)

At the end of the service, Pastor John also presented the three congregations represented with several large bags of clothes and shoes, donated by an organization in Juba. We were grateful that God provided room on the flight for this extra cargo to reach Yuai, since it is very remote and getting goods there is not easy. It was encouraging to see Pastor John’s care and hopes for the people of Yuai, like a father caring for his children.

The children's Sunday school met after the service inside the shell of their building.

Pray for this congregation, as they seek to be a faithful witness to the love of Christ in a community where there has been much suffering. They are working on re-thatching the roof of their church, but have hopes to build a more permanent structure along with a school. Rev. John Tut finishes his studies in Juba this year and looks forward to returning to Yuai next year, with a vision for discipling people and reaching to more remote villages.

Forum for Reconciliation

Last week I was in Rwanda for a forum and training for facilitators of the Healing Hearts Transforming Nations workshop. It was so encouraging to hear from facilitators from Rwanda, Burundi, Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan about how they are ministering to people despite many challenges and the creative ways they are conveying messages of God’s healing and reconciliation.

A group photo of all the participants and facilitators of the forum

Two of our facilitators from South Sudan were able to attend, and they were inspired by the chance to connect with people doing the same ministry in different contexts. A major focus for the week was to equip these facilitators to train other facilitators – so it was a training of trainers (TOT). Some of the facilitators have been conducting workshops for years, and others were just trained last year, so there was a wide range of skills and experience with the workshop. But that diversity provided opportunity to learn from each other as we practiced skills for teaching others. 

Meeting as a large group

Abdon (left) and Alex (center) came from South Sudan

One of the meaningful events in the week was doing the cross session of the workshop together. All of the people attended have led people through this central part of the workshop where we have the opportunity to identify pain or burdens in our heart and give them over to God. Several people shared afterwards how meaningful it was for them to have this opportunity provided for them and not be in the facilitator role. One pastor shared that he is often listening to others share their burdens, but feels there is no one to listen to him. So the time of sharing or pain in pairs and praying for each other was a great relief. 

Another highlight of the week was visiting “Unity Mountain”, a community where Rabagirana Ministries has come alongside the community in a holistic way to promote healing and reconciliation. We heard testimonies there from survivors of the genocide who felt marginalized and isolated but how God has brought transformation and change to their community as they found healing and were able to forgive.

A woman at Unity Mountain shares her testimony of surviving the genocide

The green in the fields and the rolling hills were also a refreshing sight! People in Rwanda were complaining about how hot the weather was, but those of us from Juba were enjoying the break from the extreme heat in South Sudan right now. Please pray for a break from the heat in Juba!

A view of the valley during an early morning walk in Rwanda

I am grateful for Rabagirana Ministries in Rwanda and all of their staff that worked hard to host this significant gathering and also is a great example in this ministry of healing and reconciliation. As we return to South Sudan, please pray for God to guide and enable us to share the message of God’s healing and forgiveness in more places. We look forward to seeing what God will do!