Debbie and Del Braaksma
RECONCILE
Yei, Southern Sudan
C/O MAF Uganda
PO Box 1
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 with RECONCILE (Resource Centre for Civil Leadership, an indigenous ecumenical Christian organization in a conflict-ridden country in the horn of Africa (the exact location is for the moment to sensitive to name).

RECONCILE was established in March 2004 by a national church council to do peacebuilding by providing training in trauma healing, conflict transformation, and civic education. The foci for RECONCILE’s activities are in areas of high interethnic conflict, and the churches are the typical point of entry into these communities. “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?”

Along with their African colleagues, the Braaksmas are facilitate training events in these areas of interethnic conflicts as well as at RECONCILE’s training center. Del has specific responsibilities overseeing the physical development of the training center’s programs, including a goat project. Debbie is the acting principal of the RECONCILE Peace Institute.

Letters from
Debbie and Del Braaksma

• March 2009
• November 2008
• September 2008
• July 2008
• 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, a Master of Theology from the University of Edinburgh. She is a candidate for a D.Min. at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan.
 
Debbie was ordained to the ministry of Word and Sacrament in 2004 by the Chicago Classis of the RCA.

Debbie and Del are the parents of four children: Stephen and his family live and work in Madison, Wisconsin. Michael is attending graduate school at the University of Washington. Bethany attends Hope College, and Daniel attends North Park University.

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