Presbyterian Mission Agency sharing stories Archives

How does PDA respond to a disaster during a pandemic?

Posted May 27th, 2020

Somewhat submerged in the barrage of headlines about COVID-19 is news that Mother Nature is still doing her thing. As always, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) plans to respond to calls for help, though in a somewhat altered way, given the limitations of a churchwide domestic travel ban and social distancing necessary to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

The power of sharing our stories

Posted January 22nd, 2020

I sat next to Rachel Obal outside of her home in rural South Sudan, listening to the story of her uncle who, as a boy, was taken from his home by Arabs to be sold as a slave near Khartoum, Sudan. Obal’s words painted a vivid picture as she spoke of how her father followed his brother to rescue him and had to witness the small boy, with hands tied behind his back, paraded in front of crowds to be sold.

God is healing children’s hearts at refugee camps

Posted May 15th, 2019

Squeezed together with girls about her same age, Mary sat on a bamboo pew in the sanctuary. It was the first morning of a three-day children’s trauma healing workshop. The list of things written in her new notebook included: too much housework, loss of my parents and missing school.