Stepping out of my boat...

2012 is bringing new opportunities to strengthen and expand our work in South Sudan. It is both exciting and daunting – but first let me give a little bit of background…

I commenced in ministry at Magill Church of Christ in the eastern suburbs of Adelaide in 2003. Mid way through the following year I was asked if our church would sponsor a refugee family from Sudan. 

This was my first involvement with the Sudanese community, but within a few years I had developed a significant role amongst the Sudanese in Adelaide, including establishing the United Sudanese Fellowship, and then travelling to Sudan in 2008 to explore the possibility of commencing a mission partnership. My partner and friend throughout this work has been Rev Joseph Mawien.

Global Mission Partners was quick to approve a partnership with South Sudan and this provided access to the steadily growing support of Churches of Christ throughout Australia. And so, from a small start just a few years ago, we have been able to establish some very basic projects which are making a dramatic difference to some of the most vulnerable people in war-torn South Sudan.

Until now I have worked in a voluntary capacity as GMP’s Sudan Program Director. I have used my annual leave and long service leave to make the trips and my weekends and other spare time to coordinate the ongoing work.  In addition, I was privileged to have the opportunity to establish another mission partnership in Bangladesh. It became very evident that I couldn’t maintain this workload at the same time as having the challenging role of being Minister of a thriving church. So, a few months ago I informed the leaders of my church that I would resign and that I would be devoting my time to the missions in South Sudan and Bangladesh. Next Sunday will be my final service and farewell. There is a lot of grief in leaving, but God has opened a door of opportunity to do more in an area of great need.

While my plans aren’t concrete, I plan to leave in March and return in December, spending most of the year in South Sudan as well as some time in Bangladesh and a few short breaks in other places. The main goals will be to strengthen the work that has already been established and to explore some new proposals including two new regions – a program providing for orphans living on the streets of Nassir (Upper Nile State) and an integrated project that includes agriculture, community development and spiritual care in Lainya County (Central Equatoria). There are other projects to explore where we are already working in Northern Bahr Al Ghazal including a girl’s school in Aweil East, a clinic in Aweil North, and support for liberated slaves.

I am constantly amazed at what has grown from a simple decision to sponsor one family of refugees. Now I sense God calling me to sail out of my safe harbour to assist those whose need is greatest.

(Please send me an email if you would like to participate in this expanding mission.)

Photo: With Rev Joseph Mawien, his mother Adut and sister Achol. Aweil 2008

Reconnecting...

I was in Melbourne for the weekend and took the opportunity to visit a few Sudanese friends and contacts. Suzie and Deng are members of the first family our church sponsored. This whole mission has grown out of that first contact. Suzie married David and moved to Melbourne and has three gorgeous children. While in Marialbai in January I met Suzie and Deng's mother and sisters and brought home photos and video. Words cant describe what it means to Suzie and Deng to see their family and friends speaking to them on the screen. One sister introduced her children and Deng's twin sister wept saying she didnt even have the chance to say goodbye. Afterwards I used my video camera again as Suzie, David and Deng sent greetings back to their family in Sudan. I will take this with me when I visit Marialbai again in a few weeks.

Travelling with me will be Adhel, the youngest of the family. Adhel was eight when she arrived and is now fourteen, but she hasnt seen her mother since she was two. I will escort her to Marialbai where she can reconnect with her family.

In different ways, this family that have been scattered by war, are slowly able to reconnect.

With Suzie, Deng, Julia, Eve & Chris in Melbourne

With Adhel at Magill Church of Christ

Suzie and Deng's mother Amel (2nd from left), sisters and nieces. Adhel's mother Adut (on right). Marialbai, January 2010

A Family Scattered...

Yesterday we met Veronica Abuk, the mother and grandmother to several of my congregation in Adelaide. Let me share a bit of her story.

In 2001 Abuk and her family were in Aweil Town when the militia attacked. Abuk’s husband was killed, Abuk was shot, and the family scattered. A daughter, Juer, came to Australia and settled into my congregation with her daughters. Juer was in contact with some of her sisters and brothers, but she didn’t know what happened to her mother or her 4 younger siblings. She assumed her mother had been killed. Finally she found her younger siblings in an orphanage in Aweil under the care of the Catholic Church. We supported her application to bring them to Australia on a Family Orphan Visa. The older girl went missing in Khartoum but we welcomed the younger 3 to Australia about 2 years ago and they have become part of our church family.

A few months later I came with Joseph to Aweil and there we discovered that Juer’s mother Abuk was living in Khartoum, North Sudan. I rang Juer and passed on the news. Last year another daughter was able to bring her back to Aweil. But there is no news of the lost daughter.

When I greeted Abuk I told her we thought she was dead. I passed on greetings from her children, told her how well they are doing in Australia and showed some photos from my computer. Abuk of course was overjoyed to see the pictures and hear the news. But there was no hiding the pain. We see a lot of anguish here, but Joseph and I couldn’t hold back our tears. This family’s story is typical of what many South Sudanese have endured. We pray one day they can be reunited.



With Veronica Abuk and her daughter

From Magill to Awiel...

Late last year I showed our Sunday School at Magill Church of Christ some video of a Sunday School in Awiel, Southern Sudan where I had recently visited. Our kids got involved making a banner, writing cards and donating clothes to send over. One of my Sudanese friends recently took them over and presented our small gift as a symbolic link between the children in our two communities. Here are the photos...

With Pastor Tanya Nokes and children from our Cafe Service








And then at the front of our Chapel Service










To its new home at the front of the Episcopal Church in Awiel Town










The children holding cards they have received from Australia










With Rev Angelo outside their grass cathedral

From little things big things grow...

Well the second anniversary celebration of the United Sudanese Fellowship was an inspirational occasion. Unfortunately Joseph wasnt well enough to share in the presentation of our trip to Sudan, but people were obviously enthusiastic about the opportunities we have to show our support to the Aweil community. Those from Aweil recognised people and places in my photos and showed a mixture of joy and sadness. But there is a confidence growing that although the need is overwhelming, there are things we can do to help. And even a small amount of assistance can go a long way amongst people who have so little. I reported that we are continuing to explore what we can do to help in a few critical areas:
- Assisting Deborah, the midwife at Aweil Hospital, with basic training and equipment
- Support for Rev Angelo and his team who are caring for Darfurian refugees
- Developing links with Church of Christ leaders, churches and the Bible College
- Supporting the vision of Church of Christ leaders to establish a church and clinic in Aweil Town
- Supporting Adub in his work with the Peace Commission
- Exploring our response to appeals for assistance in a number of other practical areas such as training, agriculture, micro-enterprise, books, wheelchairs, water, books, Bibles etc

At Magill COC, our Sunday School is making their own response. A couple of Sundays ago I showed them some video of a Sunday School in Aweil (at the church in the photo above). Now they are making a banner to send over with their hand-prints and names on it, as well as pictures of kangaroos and koalas, to remind them they have Christian friends in Australia. Our reading that Sunday said that "true worship" involves giving clothes to those in need (Isaiah 58:7), and so they have been invited to donate a t-shirt or pair of shorts to send as a gift to the Sunday School in Aweil.

It's a small start, but we hope this small package sent with love from our children, will be followed by many more expressions of our love and support.

Some good news...

We have met several times with Father Angelo, the Catholic Priest and he has provided us with 15 Dinka Riek New Testaments to bring home. Those who donated money at last year's annual COC State Convention will be pleased to know we have finally been able to secure these. They were only published last year. He has also given Joseph church calendars in Dinka which will be very useful to the United Sudanese Fellowship.

For those from Magill COC, you will be so pleased to hear the wonderful news that Juer's mother and younger sister are alive and are living in Khartoum. I met two of Juer's sisters in Aweil and they have only recently heard news from their mother since the attack in 2000. I know many in our church have prayed for the older sister to Yeiu (Ambrose), Aguil and Atak, who went missing last year as we were planning to bring her to Australia. I dont have much news about her, except to say she is safe and living in Khartoum. Needless to say, Juer was very excited when I rang with the news. Thank God!

A greeting for my church family

(Hint, you will need to work together to translate this)

Chewibuk.

Wayk archa morth rihn Nhialich

Ekedah?

Achin-crutch. Anapol

Awk-abee-awk

Salaam Alakoun

Stiv Majok Dit

(If you are able to translate, maybe you would like to post an interpretation of my greeting)

Its very personal...

Let me introduce to you three young Sudanese new arrivals who are part of my congregation at Magill COC. This is Yiew (Ambrose), Aguil and Atak. Their older sister Juer and her two gorgeous daughters Grace and Margaret were amongst the first to join our church family.

In 2001 the family were in their home town of Awiel when the Arab militia attacked. Their parents were shot and the family scattered in the chaos. For many years Juer didnt know where her younger siblings were and finally paid someone to find them, eventually locating them in a Catholic orphanage in Awiel. Our church supported Juer's application to bring her family to Australia and after many hurdles we finally welcomed them at Adealide airport in November last year.

This photo was taken at the airport after about 30 hours travelling, which is why they look less smiley than usual! In just a few months they seem as much at home in our church community as anyone else. When the other children in Aguil's Sunday School class made gifts for their mums at mothers day, Aguil presented hers to me.

I tell this story to demonstrate the personal connection we have with Awiel. This mission partnership has grown out of the relationship we have with the people of Awiel. They are part of our family and have asked for our help.

Another interesting fact... Juer's husband was this year appointed Governor of the Awiel region - which I am told has a population of two to three million. Soon we will meet and explore how we might take this relationship further.

From the beginning...

In mid 2004 I was approached by some of the leaders of the Sudanese Community in Adelaide asking if Magill Church of Christ would sponsor a refugee family and help them to settle in Adelaide. The church Elders and Board quickly agreed and the congregation got right behind us. In just ten weeks we raised the money, arranged air-fares, rental, schooling etc and welcomed Thiik, Amath (Suzie), Deng, Amath (Nikki) and Adhel Lual into our church family. It was a day I will never forget and marked the beginninng of our relationship with the Sudanese community. In a short time we had several Sudanese families attending as well as linking other families with supportive churches around Adelaide.

A couple of years later Rev Joseph Mawien asked if I would help them establish a Sudanese church. The Salvation Army in Pirie Street were overwhelmingly supportive and generously offered a hall for their use and we met for the first time in July 2006. The United Sudanese Fellowship is an ecumencial congregation - people come from Catholic, Anglican, Pentecostal, Seventh Day Adventist and Church of Christ backgrounds, Joseph is an ordained Anglican Priest, they meet in a Salvation Army hall, and are supported by Churches of Christ.

Before long Joseph and his Elders came to me with another request: "Will Churches of Christ help us support the development of our communities back home in Awiel?" I said yes -and then started the journey of discovering what that would mean.