Planting a seed in Marialbai...

I took this photo two months ago in Marialbai, Aweil West. Pastor Paulino Malou is standing on one corner of the land the Chief has provided to us, and he is pointing to the other corner on the northern side. The land will be site of a Church of Christ mission which initially will provide care for children who have lost parents in the war. The Chief and Sub-Chiefs have begun the registration process to enure only the children in genuine need will be admitted to the program. We have discussed various possibilities for future development on the land including a church, school and vocational training.

I had been back in Australia just a few days when I sent money to Malou to mark the boundaries of the land. It is a small start really, but we have a vision of what we can do to support this commuity.

Most of what we have done in Sudan so far has been supporting what others have established. This new misison in Marialbai is the first major project we have started from the beginning.

I feel like we have dug the ground and planted a seed. I wonder what we will see on this site in one year, ten years or fifty years.

Politics and Peace...

National Elections in Sudan are scheduled for April, the first step towards democracy since the military dictatorship took power. President Bashir is currently negotiating peace deals with rebel groups from Darfur and has also expressed his commitment to work towards sustainable peace with the South. A referendum is scheduled for January 2011 where Southerners will decide between independence and remaining in a unified Sudan. This is a critical period where there is potential for lasting peace or for renewed conflict. Sudanese leaders have asked to pray for peace.

When there is nothing we can do...

A few weeks ago we were being shown through a hospital at Marialbai where we met a woman who at first seemed to be paralysed. During a fit she had fallen backwards and hit the back of her head and had been brought to the hospital where she had laid motionless ever since. Ros asked various questions and was able to ascertain she still had feeling and movement in her feet, but couldnt determine why she was unable to move. She came over to me and quietly said there was nothing she could do to help.

Almost every day in the remote regions of Sudan we met people in desperate situations who would look to us with hope and expectation. It isnt easy to admit - to them or ourselves - that there is nothing we can do.

I said to Ros and Paulino Malou that at least we could pray with this woman. In prayer we recognise our weakness and God's greatness and express our belief that God's mercy is not dependant on physical realities. And, sometimes, it is all we can do...

Ros had more questions to ask, trying to find a medical reason for the "paralysis", and I left her to her work. Later she told me that she and Malou did pray before they left the woman. But that night Ros admitted her feeling of helplessness and frustration. It was one of the few times in the whole trip I saw her a bit shaken. We discussed the importance of knowing our own areas of weakness and accepting our limitations before we try to help others with theirs.

Before we went to bed one of the locals casually commented that the lady at the hospital that Ros and Malou had prayed for had got up out of bed, said she was fine, and walked home.

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Addition - Ros reminded me we were also told that the traditional healer (sometimes called witch-doctor) visited the woman at the hospital. Is that what you call having a bet each way?

Some photos of Ros...

I'm fairly sure Ros took over 1000 photos while in Sudan - but she wasnt so keen about being on the other side of the camera. In spite of being a bit camera shy I managed to get a few pictures which I hope give a small insight into Ros' experience.

Ros (or  Mama Ayak as Adut Dit named her) getting into traditional dress

Doing laundry in Marialbai

Cute and delicious - but no Ros, you cant take it home!

With Anwon and Achol

Joseph and I were amazed at what came out of Ros' luggage - even a battery powered fan! Very useful in 39 degree heat and 80% humidity.

A farewell gift from Adut Dit

Slaves...

For most of us slavery is something we have heard about but haven’t witnessed personally. Many find it hard to believe reports that there is more human trafficking today than when the slave trade was “abolished”, and even if we are well informed it can be difficult to imagine what modern-day slavery looks like. So let me introduce you to two young Sudanese women who told me their story.

Rebecca’s village was raided by nomadic militia from the north when she was a young girl. Her father was killed, the village burned, and Rebecca abducted and enslaved by a family in Southern Kordofan. As she matured she became a sex-object for her master. Apparently because of jealousy, the master’s wife arranged Rebecca’s marriage to another Sudanese abductee and she has two children from this relationship. Christian Solidarity International arranged Rebecca’s release but when she returned to her village she discovered her husband was a close relative – something so disgraceful in Dinka culture that her husband was forced to leave and Rebecca now lives without support from her community and with little prospect of marriage. She is blind in one eye as a result of being beaten by her master.

Asha was even younger when she was abducted. Her master raised her until she was old enough to “marry”, but after her first child discarded her and offered her for sex to other men who would visit. She was regularly beaten. When investigators located her and began the process of lobbying for her release, Asha’s master would hide her away to a different location. Recently Asha was released, again through the work of CSI, and is beginning to make a new life for herself. But it isn’t easy. She has no memory of her family of origin and doesn’t even know which tribe she belongs to. In a culture where identity is determined through family lineage, Asha has only vague suggestions of where she might have come from. Still, she has recently married, has a new baby, and is making a home for herself in the community.

Lobbying continues for the release of 35,000 abductees in northern Sudan.

Liberated abductees Rebecca and Asha

A report from Joseph...

It's our last day in Sudan. Tomorrow Joseph and I commence our way home. Here is Joseph's review of our time in Sudan...

We arrived in Juba on 31st December 2009. Juba is the seat of government of South Sudan whereby the temperature is fairly high - politically and naturally. It is the eve of campaigns for the national election, electing the state legislative assembly and national assembly. This is the first step of democratization since the military Junta in Khartoum took the government for the last 30 years. Juba has changed in terms of development which is going in high gear, but also has contradictions - the realities of government bureaucracy and some embezzlement of a few corrupt figures that is the reality of African or third world governments.

We left Juba after some few days to Wau which is the capital of Bahr Al Ghazel region. It reminds me of my childhood days. This is a place where I studied my primary school and junior primary school. And also it reminds me of my exit point when I left Sudan on November 24, 1983. All these memories come back in mind when we landed in Wau airport, but I can see new settlement and peace will become reality. There is also a reflection in my mind from a saying of our late hero Dr John Garang DeMabour when he said “I had sworn an oath for peace which is in your hands and now it is yours. Own it and treasure it.”

Then we travelled to Aweil, capital of Northern Bahr Al Ghazel state where we spent most of our time and started our mission. This time our mission covered four counties – Aweil Centre, Aweil South, Aweil West and Aweil North. In our visit to Aweil South with Church of Christ leaders we encountered a few things which delight our heart in terms of the ministry which have really grown since we left the area the last 18 months. They have done a great deal in terms of their hospital and their vision for Bible college and core workers for the ministry. These are the soldiers of Christ’s mission and their enthusiasm to preach the word of God and change their own people into the Kingdom of God on earth and in Heaven.

Meeting with one of the ministers, Pastor Paulino Malou, and sharing his vision towards the orphan children, in his heart burns fire to do something towards it. These are the backbone of the future for this community which have been marginalised and look as outcasts of the community. We have explored a lot of opportunities and ask God to open doors for this calling.

In our visit to Marialbai in Aweil West we have faced a lot of challenges – some put us in tears and some delight our hearts for what God has just given us in this mission. It is an area which has been destroyed in the last 40 years of civil war between north and south. This region of Ayat is between the border of North and South Sudan and they have lost many lives, women and children and some have been abducted to be slaves for their masters in the north. And also, it was people from this region where God has just called Steve to start his contact with Sudanese families in Adelaide. We met many of their brothers, sisters and mothers. When sitting down with the Chief Makuei Dit (Riiny Riiny Lual) he is in my age, but when we sat down together he looked older – more than 20 years than me, because of the heavy load of his own people on his shoulder. I began to reflect back when we were young and now time just passes by in these circumstances of life. His 10 brothers sacrificed their lives for this cause of the struggle. Among them the Major General Lual Riiny Riiny Lual is one of the founders of the movement. We stood by his grave for a moment and said a prayer. Half of his family live in Adelaide and half live in Marialbai. We heard many stories about great challenges regarding health and abductees and the orphans. The story of the abductees is horrifying. Some are made as sex slaves, some are still retained by their masters in the north, some have been killed through raping and torturing. Approximately they say there is about 40,000 but about 5000 have been released. We are given a portion of land in Ayat region for our mission. We ask God to help the call to start this mission as soon as God has put in the heart of our brothers and sisters in Australia.

Travelling to Gok Machar, Aweil North, to see IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons) and Darfurians, the local authorities couldn’t facilitate our request to see and visit these areas. This is the area mostly Rev Angelo and his team minister to Darfuri refugees. Their ministry assists the Darfurians with medications and food and other care.

Finally, we are back to Juba, reflecting on our mission. We see that God has just opened doors in so many ways, and we are asking our friends and brothers to pray and give whatever God has just asked them to give for this mission.

Joseph at the grave of Dr John Garang

What about the Hospital?

For those who have been following our partnership you might be wondering about our involvement in the Aweil Civic Hospital. Let me give a brief update.

A few weeks before leaving we learned that MSF have adopted a policy not to work with traditional midwives. They claim that in some instances there is a disincentive to bring mothers to the hospital. It was obvious that to supply birthing kits to Deborah at the hospital would be working against the operational practices of MSF and so we agreed that these would be best used in remote areas where home birthing is the only option. The previous article by Ros tells of how this has developed.

In addition to the supply of birthing kits, Deborah had asked us to provide some basic medical equipment and training. Now that MSF have taken over this role in the hospital this has become redundant. This of course is the best outcome as MSF are providing quality medical care. They report that the maternal mortality rate in the hospital has dropped from 22% to 1% since their takeover.

I have also had conversations with the Governor about supporting the development of one segment of the hospital. We haven’t been able to meet the Governor on this visit as he has been busy with pre-election campaigns, but after conversations with MSF we think it is unlikely this will proceed. The Ministry of Health has begun some refurbishments in conjunction with MSF and there are many other NGOs who have roles in the hospital. It seems we will be more effective if we concentrate in areas which have less resources and support. I will report more on this as it unfolds.