Church of the Brethren Sudan Initiative

Wow, what a day. We are in awe at the riches we have received, and shared wisdom and time given to us by the people here. We were especially gifted by Rev. Peter Tibi, the General Secretary of the united Sudan Council of Churches (SCC), who came after his meetings all day--meetings that are peace talks between the LRA (Lord's Resistance Army, rebels from Uganda, the most significant armed force causing problems in Southern Sudan and northern Uganda) and the government--and then drove us all around Juba. The time with him and the conversation, was incredibly valuable.

One significant stop was at the distant compound of Rev James Koung of Upper Nile, who will be our contact as we travel to Bentui and Leer... he even offered to meet us there on the 26th, or have Elder Michael meet us if he would not be available. This sort of hospitality--even the sharing of water or sodas as we visit--is such a part of what we find here, as well as what we need, as we work together in this country. This reminds us of the Old Testament meanings of hospitality and welcoming strangers, and we are the ones being welcomed... these are such gracious people.

There is so much more to share, and we cannot capture it all here in a blog entry. So we will simply share two more vignettes to help capture this time.

Rev. Tibi told us about a young girl who had been abducted by the LRA, had to live with them a while, and then rescued by her family. Her family arranged for treatment for her, to ease the trauma and help her return to normal life, and she seemed to be doing okay, so came home. But shortly thereafter, she and her younger sister were out in the fields, and when getting ready to come home her younger sister said that she was tired. The girl who had been with the LRA proceeded to strangle her sister, left her body, and walked on home. When her parents asked where her sister was, she said, she is dead out there in the field. As it turns out, anyone with the LRA who said he or she was tired was immediately chopped up and killed... it was only then that the family realized how deep the trauma, and how much more healing was yet needed.

The second vignette is one of hope. When we met with Bishop Nathaniel this morning, the very presence and spirit of Nathaniel is one of gentleness, hope, and deep deep faith. He is known for his profound trust in God. In his presence we felt as if we could sense God's spirit moving, bringing hope for southern Sudan, and that the Church of the Brethren could be a part of God's healing presence here among these peoples. Phil and Louie have had a long and meaningful relationship with Bishop Nathaniel and were delighted to be reunited.

It is late and we need to get to bed, but no, no we are NOT tired! So we will conclude our writing and try to connect to the satellite to send these out. We send our love and greetings to all those we hold dear, and all those praying for us... thank you for your support.

From the three of us,
Enten and Phil and Louie