March 29, 2009

Dear Friends,

I’m safely back in Nairobi, having been evacuated from Pibor, in south Sudan, on Wednesday, March 11,  after the Murle town of Lekwangole, only thirty miles from us, was attacked and captured by Nuer cattle raiders. Men and women were killed, girls were kidnapped, and the property of the two NGOs there was destroyed.

Lucy Aceng, my Ugandan colleague, teaching the teachers under the tree that sheltered us much better than the brick classoom.

While I don’t believe I was in imminent danger, most of our Murle brothers and sisters felt differently. On Monday, March 9, the  morning planned for closing the teacher training, Lucy and I were the only two women to be seen: all the others, even the elderly, had run to the bush for safety. All the men passing our compound were carrying either long sticks, spears, or guns. As the teachers trickled into the compound to greet us, one of them said reassuredly: “Don’t worry madam; I shall protect you.” He spoke as a fearless warrior, to be sure, but in reality, everyone was tense and concerned whether the raiders would come to Pibor or would they seek out the cattle camps where the balance of the cattle were located?

With all of our cooks hiding in the bush, we postponed the elaborate closing we’d intended and instead held an impromptu prayer meeting under the big tree that provided us with the shade we needed to conduct our classes from after 11:00 a.m. to 5:15. Five teachers, Lucy, and I prayed.

Jacob Lokoggio, one of the Pibor teachers, playing the children's games we were teaching them.

They had just learned the song, “My God is so big, so strong and so mighty, there is nothing my God cannot do.” They’d sing it throughout the day; thus, it was no surprise that as I stood to pray, the Holy Spirit brought these words to my heart. As I spoke and sang them, I also acted out the words. The teachers, some armed with their sticks looked at me, smiled, and began to talk/sing the words of this little song. And they began to act out the words too. As we sang our child-like confession of faith in almighty Jehovah to keep us, we all felt the atmosphere of fear that was hovering over us lifted. As we sang and concluded in prayer, we knew deeply that our God was indeed so big, so strong, and so mighty, there was nothing that He could not do, including keeping each of us and our family members safe from the attacking Nuer cattle raiders.

A very proud teacher holds his certificate very high for all to see.

On Tuesday morning, they all returned, and we held a more subdued, but no less elated completion, where upon receiving their participation certificate, each teacher held it high above his head, while the others shouted their approval. When we traveled later that afternoon to the airstrip to be picked by the AIM flight that would evacuate us, many of them were there to see us off.

As ever,  I can’t thank you enough for continuing in prayer for us in southern Sudan, that come what may, the peace of our Lord Jesus would reign in our hearts into all of our relationships, that His kingdom may come on earth in south Sudan as it is in heaven, amen

In the Body of Christ,

Ingrid

The 2009 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 32