A letter from Nancy McGaughey serving in South Sudan
March 2016 – FINAL MONTHS
When I returned to South Sudan in early January, I thought March/April was so far away. There would be lots of time to do the things I wanted to before returning to the U.S.A. Now that time is almost here, and there is still much left on my list!
I did manage to get a trip in to Duk County, and to see more than just Poktop. This is the first time I have been there on a Sunday and with help from the John Dau Foundation staff, I was able to find and join a worship service with Presbyterians there. During the service I was able to present a banner made by members of New Hope Presbyterian Church in Springfield, Ill. Later in the afternoon, I had the opportunity to sit with Pastor Paul and hear their story. During the early days of the fighting in 2013/2014 they fled their village of Pajut and sought refuge in Poktop. They arrived here to find the village deserted and homes burned down, but the church building was still standing. They took the building as their own and have been worshiping here ever since. Pastor Paul said, “When the crisis started, it was called one tribe against the other. But it wasn’t the whole tribe that was fighting another tribe. It was a fight between political leaders who happened to be of different tribes. We wanted to live together in peace. God calls us to practice forgiveness and live together in peace. When we heard of our brothers and sisters suffering in neighboring counties, we invited them to join us. Our church family now has members from both tribes. We use both languages in our service so all can feel included.” What an inspiring and humbling story.
A letter from Lynn and Sharon Kandel serving in South Sudan
November 2015 – Cautious Hope
Life can get so busy or intense at times that you need to step back and be reminded of the important things. Getting away is a good thing. We went to Kenya for a week, and it was a good time of relaxing, enjoying cooler temperatures, and talking. Oh, yes, and having chocolate milkshakes! Back in Juba, things have been tense with an increase in crime all over the city. While this is not unusual leading up to Christmas, it has started earlier this year and has seemed more violent, according to our South Sudanese friends. I realize that this must seem odd since Christmas is supposed to be a happy family time celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior. For the people of South Sudan this time of year is hard because money is scarce. The consequence is theft as people try to get money to buy things for their children. It is easy to focus on the bad and negative, so we find that our trips to Kenya help us to step back and get a better perspective.
