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Letter from Debbie & Del Braaksma
in Uganda |
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May 1, 2006
Dear Friends,
Our friend Bishop Paride Taban has made some interesting remarks
about the role of missionaries. “At times I compare missionaries
to bees. They left their hives in Europe or America. They spread
the pollen, fertilize the plants, and help them bear fruits. Africa
is full of beautiful flowers of faith, and partly due to the work
of missionaries our faith has born fruit and has grown strong
and sweet. But bees not only fertilize flowers. They also go back
to the hives whence they came, laden with honey.” This last
sentence rings particularity true for Del and me—we have
been inspired by the stories and concrete examples of how the
ministry of RECONCILE has impacted the lives of the Sudanese.
We’d like to share some of the “honey” with
you.
In March we traveled into Akobo in south Sudan to do a follow
up of the workshop we did in October about trauma healing and
civic education. We were blown away to hear of six instances of
workshop participants intervening to prevent bloodshed! “Someone
was killed in the cattle camps,” one participant told us.
“There was a plan to go and take revenge. We, the elders,
took the initiative to talk to the government authorities to convince
the youth not to go. I moved out and spent two days with the youth,
who had guns and were ready to fight. I told them, ‘The
plan is not good! God has not decided that these people should
die. The results will affect not just your family but everyone.’
The conflict ended. I learned from the workshop to do this.” |
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A participant at the workshop in Akobo in south Sudan shares his
story. |
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At the conclusion of a workshop for young adults
representing “All Churches Together in Yei,” the young
people organized themselves into a group called “New Life
Ministry for Reconciliation,” the purpose of which is to take
the message of healing, reconciliation, and respect for human rights
out to the community through drama and music. |
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They said that God had convicted
them that they mustn’t “hold onto” the things
they learned at the workshop—they must share them. The Yei
community is aching for this message, as tensions are high due
to frequent violent incidents, including poisoning of returnees.
At the Dinka/Zande Peace Conference, which Del and a Sudanese
colleague, the Reverend John Khamis, attended last week in Yambio,
400 church and community leaders came together to address the
clashes between the Dinka and Zande people, which left more than
50 people dead and 800 homes looted or destroyed. |
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The conference began with the traditional slaughtering
of a white bull, and then Bishop Paulino Lokudu tackled the problem
head-on stating, “We are still at war in Sudan. You cannot
say it is good to kill. We have sinned, let us accept that, confess
to one another, let’s understand and respect one another.
We must bring out what is of the devil and kill him here.”
A peace covenant was signed that stipulated cattle grazing rights,
return of children and women taken into slavery, and prosecution
of those responsible for hostilities. |
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The Dinka/Zande Peace Conference, which Del Braaksma attended recently
in Yambio, began with the ritual slaughter of a white bull. |
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Del has been spending quite a bit
of time in Yei to help to oversee the building of the RECONCILE
training center. The community is excited about the ministry and
also about the building itself. “This building meets international
standards!” someone commented. |
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The community center in the town of Yei is an important symbol of
hope for the people. |
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As North Americans, it might be hard for us
to comprehend the importance of a building. Sure, we are pleased
to move into a new office building or a house, but it is a much
more profound experience to the Sudanese. Yei town was bombed mercilessly
during the war, and the favorite targets were the schools, the hospital,
and the market center. Few permanent buildings were left, so constructing
buildings in such a setting is a tangible sign of hope! |
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The Sudanese church and community
leaders are taking brave and bold steps to establish peace and
reconciliation in their communities. (We were blown away to hear
of six instances of Akobo workshop participants intervening to
stop bloodshed from erupting!) I believe our North American churches
have much to learn from them in terms of actively proclaiming
the good news of Christ’s love as well as working to transform
our communities—in the Sudanese case from “a culture
of war” to “a culture of peace.” It is our privilege
to walk alongside them, and we thank you for making that possible
through your prayers and financial support. We will have opportunity
to “share the honey” personally with many of you when
we take a short home assignment from mid-July to mid-September.
In Christ,
Del, Debbie and family
P.S. Please let us know if you would like to receive monthly
updates and prayer requests via email: debbie
[at] reconcile-int.org.
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