Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Staying with the People

Loryok

On November 22nd of this year, I traveled with Clement to visit the Laarim community where I would spend the next 12 days. We left Torit in a 14 passenger van and arrived to Loryok about three and a half hours later. Loryok is small town on the main road between Torit and the Kenya border. Clement and I stayed at the compound in Loryok where his sister-in-law lived. There were others who stayed there and none of them spoke English. This helped push me a little harder to learn Laarim. To learn new words, I spent time with the children. I pointed to or drew different objects and the children would give me the names of them.

Clement's purpose in coming to the community from Juba was to do a community check after having completed a draft of the book of John in Laarim. The community check entailed meeting with youth, men, women, and elders throughout different populated areas of the territory. They would discuss or correct any questionable grammar or words used as Clement or a designated person would read aloud from the Laarim book of John. It was encouraging to see a decent turnout of youth, women, and elders during most of the readings.

One of the challenges that I experienced during my visit was frequent begging. Many times a day I would be asked by strangers or acquaintances for money or clothes. During our visits to different villages, I would be told time after time, "We are hungry," or asked "What did you bring?" One of the youth helping Clement with the community checks noticed that I was struggling to give appropriate responses to their questions. Very kindly he wrote down the questions that people were frequently asking me, and some appropriate responses that I could give.

On one of our days I was feeling the need to do some physical work outside. I found the grass cutter and spent the next few hours slashing weeds in the front and back of the compound. While I was at work a soldier approached me with a smile on his face. In Arabic he asked me about what I was doing. After some brief words, he gave me a five pound note (about $1.50) and told me to get a soda. Later that evening, a woman at the shop on the neighboring compound gave me a soda commenting that I was doing a good thing by slashing the weeds.

To Kimatong

We had arrived to Loryok on Tuesday and it was now Saturday and we were ready to head to Kimatong up in the northern part of the Laarim territory. We purchased our food for the journey and packed our belongings. We were planning to hire motorbikes. The price had increased from 30 to 50 pounds (about $14) due to the cost of petrol. I had wanted to walk the 20+ km distance, but Clement insisted that we should use bikes with all the items we were bringing up. He assured me that we would be able to make the return journey by foot since we would be leaving some items in the village. The two riders loaded our items on their bikes and we headed off. I was being taken by Lopul, a Laarim youth whom I had met a number of times before. After departing, there was a lot of stopping and starting along the way as the bike Clement was on had some problems and the load on Lopul's bike was not staying on properly. A few hours later we were at the guesthouse in Kimatong.

That same day, there happened to be a celebration with dancing that was to take place in one of the villages just outside of Kimatong. We walked there and found hundreds if not over a thousand Laarim gathered to attend the even. It was quite a sight to see everyone together, dressed colorfully, singing, and performing their traditional dances. Afterwards, I was taken to a compound where a group of men gathered. Some elders stood up and gave speeches and blessings. Songs were sung and sorghum beer was passed around in calabashes for all to drink.

The following morning we attended Sunday prayers held at the primary school building in Kimatong. There were about 60 children along with a few youth, adults, and elders sitting in the back. The children enthusiastically participated in the prayers and singing. Clement led the service and gave me the opportunity to share. I spoke about the meaning of grace. In the afternoon, Clement and I packed up our belongings and left Kimatong for the village of Loribok where we would stay for the following six nights. We reached the compound of Clement's sister Nathuru, where she stayed with her husband and children. I set up my tent in a nice little area in the back sectioned off by a little fence.

In the Village

The following morning we got started on making a simple latrine and bathing area. As soon as I started digging the hole for the latrine some of the youth came and decided to take over the work. Others started working on the bathing area. The women went out to gather materials as the young men did the digging and setting up. By mid afternoon, a decent latrine and bathing area were ready for us to use for our time there.

On that same day, Clement's relatives were celebrating the full payment of the dowry from one of their family members. A bull was killed and the meat roasted by the relatives of the bride. Meat was passed around, speeches were given, and the bride's family performed some rituals to bless the groom's relatives. As the meat was given out, I enjoyed some parts of the bull more than the others. But I tried a little of everything that was served to our group.

Our visit to the community also happened to coincide with a time that many people were suffering from illnesses in the community. In response to the problem, people from the community agreed to meet together for traditional prayers, hoping that God would end their affliction. I wanted to learn more about this practice so Clement and I went out to meet with those who were holding prayers. We found an area where about 40 women were gathered together. After greeting the group, a women who introduced herself as Teresa stood up and explained that they had gathered because many people were sick. She said that they believe God had put the disease in the ashes as they cooked their food causing the sickness. Teresa then explained that they would take ashes from burnt goat intestines and then throw them into a riverbed. After she shared, I was given the opportunity to speak. I greeted the women telling them that I had come to live with the Laarim people, to learn their language, and to befriend them. I also said that I would be coming to bring the word of God to their people. After I finished sharing, the group applauded and Clement and I continued on our way.

During the times that I was hanging around the compound and there was little to do, I would sit down to practice language with those around the home. Sometimes there would be children or youth around and other times I could try talking to the women. Despite my struggle to understand much of what was said, all seemed to enjoy asking me questions, answering mine, and saying a few new words for me to learn. Although I have only just penetrated the surface, I feel that a good foundation has been started through these times for developing relationships with these people.

I the village I met Pio, an elder. During my very first visit to the Laarim community with a group in September, Pio had welcomed us and offered a goat to be roasted and shared with everyone. Again this time, Pio gave up one of his goats to Clement and I. The next morning, the goat was killed. That afternoon we were given the entrails, and in the evening we had some very tasty lean pieces of roasted meat. As we visited with Pio, he informed Clement and I that his wife had an illness that was causing her to go paralyzed from the waist down. We later decided to make a visit and pray for her. After praying for her healing, I felt prompted to talk to Pio's wife about Jesus. Clement interpreted as I shared about Christ's work of conquering death and bringing true life. Despite trying to use simple terms that could be easily interpreted, I left feeling that Pio's wife did not understand what I was speaking about. After our visit, Clement checked with the clinic in Kimatong to see if a vehicle could come to get her and take her to the hospital. We were told that Pio's wife would first need to be seen at the clinic before a vehicle could be brought up. From her home the walk would take about 45 minutes to the clinic and it would certainly be possible to have her carried on a stretcher. Sadly, Pio's wife refused to be taken on foot believing that she would be killed by spirits along the way due to some concerns related to her marriage with Pio.

After spending six nights in the village of Loribok, we left on foot in the morning. As we went on our way, others whom we passed coming up from Loryok often looked at me with surprise. They could not understand why a westerner would want to walk the 20+ kilometer hike. It was sort of entertaining to see the look of surprise on their faces. It was even more interesting was when I would greet them in the Laarim language. Some would laugh while others, including young women, would back away in fear or shock. They would often chatter excitedly among themselves seeing for the first time, a white person using their language.

After some stops and places where we had to wait for others along the way, we arrived to Loryok six and a half hours later. I stayed that night in town. The following evening I was able to board a crowded cab of a large truck loaded with goats in the back. We reached Torit that night.

I thank the Lord for a successful journey which allowed me to learn a great deal about the Laarim people, meet with many in the community, and get a boost in learning the language.

How you can pray:

-Pastor Joshua from an Africa Inalnd Church in Juba, South Sudan is looking to spend 3 months in the Laarim community starting in late January and early February. Please pray that he will receive sufficient support from the church of South Sudan to carry out these plans. I hope to work alongside him next year.

-Pray for the breaking of spiritual strongholds in the Laarim community. May their eyes be opened to see a God who loves them and wants what is best for them.

-Pray for me as I might be able to go back with Clement to spend Christmas and New Year's with the Laarim people. If we are able to go, we plan to have prayers in a several different areas of the Laarim territory.

Filming Among the Laarim

As we have been planning and praying about how to approach ministry among the Laarim, my future team leader Jonathan has been looking into ways of bringing other coworkers of the gospel to this people group. Not long after Jonathan had mentioned to me his hope for other missionaries to come, he discovered that a friend of his with a group based in Capetown, South Africa was making a film. They were looking at ways that the Lord was working among the people throughout different areas of Sub-Saharan Africa and exploring opportunities for future ministry. Jonathan, seeing this as an opportunity to create awareness of the needs of the Laarim people invited his friend to come and visit their territory at the end of October to do some filming. Not only did the friend agree to come, but he decided to make the filming among the Laarim a separate project that could potentially be used to recruit missionaries to the area. Certainly this was an answer to prayer.

Jonathan, the filming crew, and my Laarim friend Clement, who is working to translate the Bible into Laarim, and I arranged to meet in the town of Loryok (also known as Camp 15) located on the main road which crosses the state. Clement and I took public transportation from Torit and reached Loryok 4 hours later than intended, since we had missed the first vehicle going out. In Loryok we met up with Clement's aged father, Joseph, who is quite a remarkable man. Despite his age, he continues to be very active frequently traveling and attending meetings on behalf of the Laarim community. After greeting one another and introducing ourselves to those who received us, we gathered into three vehicles, and departed for the town of Kimatong where the filming would take place. All went well with the filming and Jonathan's friend was able to get the needed interviews. Due to time constraints and our hope to leave Kimatong by early afternoon, Jonathan and I would be interviewed later in Nagishot where Jonathan was based.

Journey to Nagishot

Rather than returning to Torit after my visit to Kimatong, I would join with Jonathan and the filming crew to travel to Nagishot, a village up in the cool and rainy Didinga Hills. I was in need of some R&R and this was the perfect opportunity for me to take a week away. Our plan would be to drive south to Chukudum, a town at the base of the Didinga Hills and stay the night there before heading up the Hills the next morning. When we arrived to Chukudum several hours later, due to a number of factors we decided to make the journey to Nagishot on that same day. It was already approaching five o'clock so we needed to get moving. What followed was the most difficult journey by road I had ever experienced. I was on the back of Jonathan's pickup with Morefu a Didinga friend of his. Standing up on the back of the truck gave us a distinct vantage point allowing us to see if Jonathan was straying off the road in the tall grassy areas so that we could redirect him when necessary. Traveling with three vehicles meant that each obstacle had to be crossed three times before we could continue. One of the vehicles had a winch that saved us on a number of occasions. The vehicles got stuck multiple times throughout the whole journey and before we reached halfway, it started to rain. There was a lot of digging, gathering rocks, and pushing vehicles out of mud all in the cold rain. Thankfully someone had given me a nice waterproof jacket to wear at the beginning of the journey, but unfortunately I could not get it zipped up no matter what I tried. What could be a three hour journey under ideal conditions took us over nine hours. At 2:00 am we arrived to Nagishot cold and soaking wet. All my belongings were wet as well. I was given some heavy blankets and was brought into a tukul (mud hut) with a nice big comfortable bed for me to sleep in.

The next morning, I stepped out of my tukul, and walked out the compound gate to see all the beauty that surrounded me. There were, green rolling hills, a small forest in a valley that lay ahead of me, and mountain peaks in the distance in every direction. It was quite different from anything I had ever seen before in South Sudan. Thankfully the next eight days of fellowship, resting, praying, reading for enjoyment, sitting around a fire at night, and exploring the land was just what I needed to be refreshed and restored.

Getting Back to Torit

When my time there was finished, I left on foot early in the morning with Morefu, who guided me and carried my other bag. Two and a half hours later (the foot path is much shorter than the road for vehicles) and about 3,000 feet lower in elevation, we reached Chukudum where I could board a vehicle heading up to the main road. I could then hopefully catch another vehicle going to Torit within the same day. It did not take long to find a vehicle in Chukudum, so I quickly boarded and we headed off. Before leaving town the vehicle was stopped by police and taken to the station. After about an hour the vehicle was released, but it began to rain and the driver decided to wait until the rain cleared up. We ended up leaving nearly three hours later, thus making it unlikely for me to be able to reach Torit that same day. Our vehicle arrived to Loryok that evening and I would need to find a place to sleep. As soon as I exited the vehicle, one of the Laarim youth, Henry, recognized me and called out my name. After explaining to him that I needed a place to stay, Henry welcomed me to stay with him and some of the others. I was surprised by the number of youth staying there that I had already known. I enjoyed the rest of the evening visiting with and meeting others in the town.

The following morning I found that Clement's brother, who is a member of the state parliament, happened to be visiting the town. I had been recently trying to contact him and this served as the perfect opportunity to meet with him and talk a little more about ministry among the Laarim. We had a short, but nice visit. Soon after I was able to board a vehicle and return to Torit. Looking back I now thank the Lord for that extra day in Loryok He gave me to meet all the people I did. It was a simple reminder to me that God knows what is best for us.