Church of the Brethren Sudan Initiative

Today we moved in faith more than anywhere else on our trip. We were not able, nor was Anne in the SCC office in Nairobi, to contact anyone successfully in Malakal, so we were not sure what would unfold today. Someone from the Diocese of Torit (Catholic) guest house in Juba took us to the airport where we had been booked to fly with WFP (World Food Program). We flew first to Rumbek and then on to Malakal, a large city with a paved airstrip. We were expecting taxis there, but there were none there yet, which frustrated a number of people. A driver from some organization kindly let us ride in the back of his pick-up. We asked to go to Sudan Council of Churches, but it looked closed - a herd of cattle in the front yard. So we asked if he knew where the Presbyterian Church was. We were taken there and were welcomed by church leaders who graciously conversed with us and helped with trying to find accommodations. We felt nervous about being a burden to the people here with the failure of communication, but we have been so warmly welcomed and people have gone out of their way to help us.

When they heard we were from the Church of the Brethren they were glad to say, "We know the Church of the Brethren! You are our people --- and we are yours. There was a missionary family - the Shrocks - who were here, in Bentiu and Mayom, and the Holdereads in the North and others. The Schrocks did so much for our people. We have been waiting for them to come back. They did so much good and helped so many people. They made the church (Presbyterian) in Mayom strong. Since they have left the church is there, but it is not strong. We want the Schrocks to come back." (Roger and Carolyn, your hearts would have been warmed to hear the praise of your presence and service in that area!) The Schrocks and other COB missionaries have paved the way well for the COB to return into welcoming arms. The Boleyns were also praised and deeply appreciated for their long years of service translating the Bible into the Nuer language. Enten helped that project by scanning and using the computer to recognize the New Testament which had been printed 25 years earlier but needed to be revised with current alphabet and spellings. He saved much time for the project, so it meant a lot to us to hear the appreciation.

Hard rain slowed our movement for the rest of the day, but we were able to pass on greetings from the COB to a number of Presbyterian church leaders who had come for a meeting regarding development. We missed lunch again today and it was nearing our supper time so someone accompanied Phil to the nearby market to buy some food, getting soaked by the rain and sliding in the slippery mud (black cotton soil). Then they helped us look for accommodations which were not available in the places they checked, so they invited us to stay in the moderator's home (a big old broken down missionary house). We are humbled by their kindness and generosity. We are able to communicate now with you while it is still daylight, so we hope to go to bed a little earlier than usual tonight. We have been surprised by the number of places that have electricity, and are thankful for it. We have been blessed.

Enten thought I should share an interesting experience from yesterday when we were stopped for the second time to repair the flat tire. There was an army barracks nearby (grass and mud shelters and some soldiers and families around) with a little grass shelter where a few soldiers, women and children were resting on a mat. Two men were sitting on plastic chairs and after we taxi bus passengers stood for a while in the sun, one of the men offered me his chair. Since he immediately moved to a log bench, I accepted the offer. It was then a few toddlers took shelter behind parents and two of the children started whimpering. They were obviously nervous/afraid, and one soldier laughed and told me, "The children are afraid. They think you are some strange animal." After some smiles and peek-a-boo games they warmed up a bit. It was obvious they had not had much if any contact with white people. I told the soldier about the church leader in Uganda who, when he was a seven-year old boy and saw his first white person, exclaimed to his goat herd friend, "Look! There is a person without any skin on." The soldier laughed so hard. We both agreed that underneath our different colored skins we are the same. We have so many differences and so many similarities, and we have been struck by both. But this we know, we are one family!

Thanks for praying for your family (the Sudanese) in this part of the world. The needs are so many, yet we are connected by our loving God.

Peace to you all,
Louie and Phil and Enten