Debbie and Del Braaksma
c/o Hope House
PO Box 28268
Luzira-Kampala
Uganda
Email: Del Braaksma
Email: Debbie Braaksma

In July 2005 Debbie and Delvin Braaksma were appointed jointly by the PC(USA) and the Reformed Church in America to serve the people of Sudan. Though based in Kampala, Uganda, they work in southern Sudan with the Resource Centre for Civil Leadership (RECONCILE), which is related to the New Sudan Council of Churches (NSCC).

Southern Sudan has been torn by civil war for almost 25 years during which two million people have died, many of starvation. In this country of 40 million people, the war has displaced about six million people. The churches of Sudan were leaders in the peace process that resulted in the signing of the Sudan Peace Act on January 9, 2005.

In establishing RECONCILE in March 2004 the Sudanese churches aimed to help victims recover from trauma and help lead a process of reconciliation that will unite not only the Christians in the south but other faith groups as well. “Who can better lead the process of reconciliation,” asks Debbie, “than the churches of Christ, those who have personally experienced reconciliation to God through Jesus Christ?”

Letters from
Debbie and Del Braaksma

• March 2008
• November 2007
• August 2007
• March 2007
• November 2006
• August 2006
• June 2006
• May 2006
• March 2006
• December 2005
• November 2005
• October 2005

Del and Debbie Braaksma are well suited to their work, having served eleven years as RCA missionaries among the Orma people in Kenya, working extensively in community development. “We learned to deeply love and appreciate people of a culture that was very different from ours,” says Debbie. “We had opportunities to share with them about our faith in Christ. We also worked closely with Muslim leaders on joint community development projects to address the needs of the poor in our communities. This experience helped us to formulate our view of Christian holistic witness to Muslims, which includes sensitive sharing of one’s faith and living in dialogue together.”

After their years of service in Kenya (1987 to 1998) Del worked as operations manager for a Chicago-based company, and Debra served the RCA as mission supervisor for Africa.

Del holds a Bachelor of Science in agriculture from the University of Wisconsin and a Master of Science in tropical animal health and production from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. Debbie has a bachelor’s degree in social work from the University of Minnesota and a Master of Theology from the University of Edinburgh.

Debbie was ordained to the ministry of Word and Sacrament in 2004 by the Chicago Classis of the RCA.

Debbie and Delvin are the parents of four children: Stephen is a volunteer in Africa and will begin graduate school in the fall of 2005, Michael attends Hope College, and Bethany and Daniel live with their parents in Uganda.

Birthdays:
Debbie – May 18
Delvin – December 20
Stephen – November 24
Michael – April 17
Bethany – April 10
Daniel – October 10