September 4, 2009

Dear Friends,

Greetings from Yei! It’s good to be back on the ground in Sudan again after a short home assignment in the States in which we spoke at 20 church events, visited organizations that support RECONCILE such as the United States Institute of Peace, enjoyed precious vacation time with our families, and did some professional development. Del took a course in project management at the Summer Peace Institute of Eastern Mennonite University, and Debbie began her Doctor of Ministry program at Western Theological Seminary (RCA). We left for home assignment two days after the RECONCILE Peace Institute (RPI) graduation—a jubilant event! It was extremely hard to say goodbye to the 28 graduates sent off to do peace-building work in areas of Sudan experiencing high inter-ethnic conflicts.

Graduates of RECONCILE Peace Institute 2009.

But God is good, and upon returning it has been exciting to hear how the RPI graduates have been putting into practice what they learned as they serve as RECONCILE volunteers, or “key mobilizers,” in their communities. RPI graduates Viola and Esther have been making an impact. The Lord’s Resistance Army is a Ugandan rebel group known for their vicious methods of warfare, including abducting women and children and forcing them to serve as soldiers or sex slaves. RECONCILE did a trauma healing program with the women and children who were affected by LRA attacks in Lasu, about 30 miles from Yei. Our colleague Milcah Lalam ran the two-week training for the women, and Viola and Esther ran the entire two-week program for children, using a book Debbie co-authored, Healing the Wounds of Trauma: What the Church Can Do (children’s version). They used the skills they learned as part of the six-week field work component of RPI. Milcah commented on how confident and serious they were about their work! We thank God for using Viola and Esther to be such a blessing to these children who have been through so much and for those who provided the scholarships for them to study with us.

Viola leading a children’s trauma healing session.

We try hard to keep in close touch with all of our key mobilizers, all of whom have stories to be told. RPI graduates have been engaged in mediating conflicts, teaching peace lessons in schools, preaching/teaching in their churches about peace building and trauma healing, counseling trauma victims. And the list goes on.

In addition to the work they are doing on their own initiatives, whenever we go out as RECONCILE staff to do seminars and workshops in areas of high inter-ethnic conflict, we involve them in the planning, leading of workshops, and follow-ups with the participants. Del will  be making three trips to Pochalla this fall, where he will co-facilitate  two workshops and follow up with RECONCILE Peace Institute graduates Othow Okoti, evangelist, and Adam Omot of the Presbyterian Church of Sudan (PCOS) on democracy, good governance, conflict resolution, voter education, and trauma healing. Presbyterian pastors have been begging for this training as the Anyuak people have suffered from inter-ethnic conflicts with neighboring groups resulting in abductions of children and deaths. There have also been serious cases of structural corruption and human rights violations that PCOS pastors and evangelists (such as Othow) have spoken out against—their courage landing them in jail.

Milcah Lalam and Debbie will be heading to Gummuruk, Pibor, and Akobo to lead PW-sponsored workshops for women leaders of the Presbyterian Church of Sudan on the topics of trauma healing with victims of gender-based violence and violence against children. These areas are in the heart of the area that experienced inter-ethnic fighting between the Murle and Dinka peoples this spring and summer in which more than 1,000 people lost their lives. RECONCILE Peace Institute graduates will assist us as we carry out these PW- and PDA-sponsored programs in Akobo, Pibor, and Gummuruk, and after we leave they will carry on their work, making a lasting impact.

Here at RECONCILE we believe that these RPI graduates are a real source of hope for bringing peace to southern Sudan. We need more Esthers and Violas to bring Christ’s message of healing, reconciliation, and peace to communities reeling from inter-ethnic conflicts. Would you or your congregation be interested in supporting a scholarship for a church or community leader to attend RECONCILE Peace Institute 2010? See RECONCILE's brochure for further information, and please keep the work of RECONCILE in your prayers.

In Christ,

Del and Debbie

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