Back to Torit
After being away for over a year, I am thrilled to be back in Torit. Even with the influx of Southerners back to their homeland and the new status of South Sudan as an independent nation, Torit feels very much the same as I recall from my last time here. As I usually walk through the town everyday, I enjoy running into friends or acquaintances and taking a moment to chat with them. My time in Torit has been great, but I believe that I will be here only for a season as I feel the Lord calling me to work among the Boya/Laarim people. In the meantime, I had been seeking out people here in Torit who are from the community and I was successful in finding a good number of Laarim youth. They agreed to meet with me and have since been doing a wonderful job helping me with learning the language. It has been great getting to know them and learn bits and pieces about the Laarim culture through our time together.
Visit to the Laarim Community
(The name Laarim and Boya refer to the same people group. I have previously referred the people as the Boya, but Laarim is the more widely recognized name.)
In September I made a visit with four others to the Laarim community. The team consisted of my unit leader Phil, my future team leader Jonathan, Pastor Joshua from Africa Inland Church, and Clement, a Laarim man working with language translation.
For Jonathan and I, this was our first visit the area. From Torit, traveled east for about 3 hours on the main road to the town of Loryok. In Loryok, we met with Joseph, the father of Clement. He was a pleasant, elderly man who was quite talkative and had good English. He went into much detail about his vision to see the Laarim community changed for the better through the assistance of the government, NGO's, and missionaries. After a short time in Loryok, we headed north with Joseph to our next stop in Kimatong. In Kimatong we were met by elders along with others in the community. We sat down together and talked about our desire to send missionaries to the Laarim people. Phil briefly shared a simple message about the problem of sin affecting all tribes and people, and how Jesus is the One who can fix our broken foundation resulting from sin. Many of the Laarim people in the group shared their hopes and desires. Although some referred to hopes for physical development of the land, there was a great emphasis on the need for missionaries to come to plant a church and teach the Bible. After our meeting in Kimatong our group headed up to Napak, the northernmost village of the Laarim. Here we met with community leaders and the chief as well as others who were visiting the area including an advisor to the governor and two county commissioners who were from neighboring counties to the Laarim. Again we shared with the elders about our desire to work with the Laarim people. The elders responded positively welcoming us to come. We then returned to Kimatong and stayed the night there. The following day we went out to see the airstrip and also made a visit the village where I have been invited to stay. We first stopped at the airstrip which had not been used for a few years and would need to be cleared. Driving along the path, Phil checked the odometer and found the length to be sufficient for a 12 passenger caravan. We then went to visit Kerenge, Clement's village between Kimatong and Napak. We again met with the elders of the area and they expressed their hope that missionaries would be sent to their people. After the meeting, they took us to the location where I could temporarily stay until a house would be built for the missionaries who would come. We then returned to Kimatong where a goat had been slaughtered and prepared for us. After sharing the meal, we headed back to Loryok where we dropped off Clement. We concluded our journey by making a short visit to Farasika in the southernmost part of the Laarim territory, quite a distance from Kimatong. There we were encouraged as we found a small group of youth who meet and pray together regularly being led by a couple Kenyan missionaries.
Looking Forward
So what are the next steps? It depends on some factors. Pastor Joshua from Africa Inland Church has said that he may be able to start ministry among the Laarim in November. If this is the case, then there is the possibility that I could go to work alongside him, possibly moving into the community around the same time he does. If Pastor Joshua does not go out in November and Africa Inland Church decides to send missionaries out at a later time, then I would likely make 1-2 week visits periodically to the community until the Lord raises up one or more coworkers for the Gospel. Clement has said that I could stay with his relatives during future visits to the community. These visits would not only assist me in my language and cultural learning, but would allow me to develop relationships with the people living in the community before I am able to get established there. It would also help to assure the Laarim community that we are committed to sending missionaries.
Prayer needs
Continue to pray for the Lord to raise up the appropriate missionaries who will bring the Gospel to the Laarim people.
Pray for wisdom for AIM and AIC (Africa Inland Church) as we plan to partner together and get established among the Laarim people. May we continue to keep our eyes on Jesus.
Pray for me as I continue learning the Laarim language and culture here in Torit and as I go into their territory.
Pray for the Lord to prepare the hearts and minds of the Laarim as they prepare to receive us. Pray the same for us as we prepare to live among them.
