I am so grateful to the Lord for how He allows His peace to rule in our hearts as we continue to follow the path which He sets before us. As Proverbs 3:5-6 says "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will direct your paths," It is a reminder to me that no matter what I face, Christ can be glorified through my reliance on Him.
Nearly two years ago, my father had been diagnosed with chordoma, a slow growing bone cancer. They performed surgery and removed the tumor. About a year later, they found that the cancer had returned. Despite this difficult news, I knew the Lord had called me to Sudan and was at peace about going out into the field so I headed out to Sudan. At the beginning of March this year, I received news that the cancer had spread more extensively than previously thought and that my father's health would likely deteriorate quickly. By the recommendation of the doctor, I decided to return early and arranged a flight to return to Omaha on March 19th. I am now back in Omaha and with my family.
During my last couple months in Sudan, ministry was going well. I was teaching three young men computer skills as well as teaching one individual English grammar and vocabulary. Although I stopped teaching the intermediate English class at AIC since all my students who expressed interest were busy at school preparing for exams, my beginner's English course was going fairly well. The learners, which mostly consisted of adult women who had started with little to no English really seemed to enjoy the class. Also, the weekly Bible study that I was having with Barnabas, Odiya, and Abema was going well. At our final study together, the three of them agreed to continue to meeting after I left. Although I knew my ministry in Sudan would be coming to a close for the moment, I felt the Lord preparing me for future ministry there.
With the more time that I spent in Torit, there was one people group, the Toposa, which captured my attention. Like most states in South Sudan, Eastern Equatoria consists of numerous people groups, each with their own language and culture. The Toposa is possibly the largest people group in Eastern Equatoria State and still remains largely unreached. They are pastoralist nomads, often being on the move throughout the year. I first encountered the Toposa in Torit as the boys would bring their cattle and goats into the area for grazing. In Toposa society, it is the boys who have the responsibility of tending and herding their livestock. Generally, men have the least amount of work to do as their main responsibility is to keep track of their livestock. The women, on the other hand, have the responsibility of caring for the rest of the needs at home. This includes, rearing children, maintaining a clean compound, preparing food, and drawing water from the nearest source and carrying it home. Tension with neighboring tribes is common among the Toposa and cattle raiding is commonly practiced. Recently though, I was encouraged to hear that some Toposa have gone to villages of neighboring tribes to make peace with their former enemies. It is our hope and prayer that all groups involved would adhere to these agreements.
Visit to the Toposaland
With the little time that I had left in Sudan, I decided to take a trip east of Torit to visit some of those who are involved with ministry among the Toposa in order to see what opportunities there may be for me to work among them in the future. My first stop was in Kapoeta about 150 km east of Torit. Without being able to notify him ahead of time, I went to visit James Lokuuda, a Toposa pastor who works with language translation and leads a growing church in Kapoeta. I also went out to visit one of the nearby villages where James had recently planted a church. After two nights in Kapoeta, I took a small bus to the town of Narus which is a couple hours drive east of Kapoeta. There I stayed with AIC pastor James Nyika and explored the area with some of the Kenyan and Sudanese missionaries. The trip went well and I made some good connections with the people. I am now seriously considering future ministry in that area. The environment of Kapoeta and Narus is a bit more harsh than Torit's. The land is much drier and the rivers flow with water only when there has been rain. While Torit is developing rapidly, there is little construction going on in these areas. I also got the impression that political clashes and acts of violence are more frequent as well. Despite reports that Christianity dominates these areas, most people in the area do not have knowledge of the Gospel. Biblical names are commonly given to the children, yet Christ is not known among them.
On my return journey from Narus to Torit, our bus stopped at a borehole. As Toposa children outside curiously came near the vehicle and looked in the window, they noticed me and just stared and smiled. I smiled back and greeted them in Toposa. One of the boys came up to the window and I asked him his name. He responded with "Marko" and then I told him my name. I felt awkward in not knowing what to say next, but he just stood there and continued to smile at me. As Marko was looking at me, the question arose in my mind "Without the Gospel where will these people be?" I was caught up in emotion and had to hold back tears. No more words were said and we soon departed, but I can never forget the curious and innocent look on that child's face and wonder what his future will hold for him.
When I reflect upon my entire time in Sudan, I feel that it was a success. My Juba Arabic language is now at a level where I can communicate fairly with the native speakers. I also developed good relationships with the locals and missionaries. I was able to challenge and encourage the Christians to draw closer to the Lord. And I also helped contribute to the growth of career-related skills in individuals through teaching of language and computer. I feel that the connections and relationships that I built with the people of Sudan will be beneficial for future ministry there. I believe that I will be returning to Sudan soon, but for the moment I feel that the Lord has called me to take some time to seek His face about my next steps. As of now, there are some pressing prayer needs for the nation of Sudan.
Prayer Points:
-This month, national elections are intended to take place for the entire Sudan. Pray that it would be a peaceful process and that the elections would be conducted with fairness.
-Next January, the Southern Sudanese will vote to either remain part of the Sudan or become a separate nation. Pray that the will of the people would be heard and carried out. Pray that both the North and South would be committed to finding a peaceful means of working out all the details of whatever decision is made.
-As for me, pray that as I seek the Lord, I would have discernment in hearing His voice for the next steps of my life and ministry. Above all things, I never want to forget the importance of living for Jesus. That means, not living for a successful ministry, or many of the other good things in this life, but rather valuing my relationship with Christ above all so that my life brings glory to Him.
