A letter from Jacob and Aliamma George serving in South Sudan
July 2014 - Back in Juba
James 3:17: “The Wisdom, that is from above, is first pure, then peaceable.”
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On July 13, 2014, after Sunday worship service in Juba, a home visit and lunch with this family
When we returned to Juba, South Sudan, in June, we met many of our church leaders and members from Malakal. We are waiting for the Principal and the Dean to come to restart the Giffen Institute of Theology (GIT) in any area that is possible. We hear that they are in an area where communication is impossible and hopefully will join the church leaders in Juba. There is a temporary office room in the Arabic/English Presbyterian congregation’s building. We heard a lot of sad stories from our friends, especially from a woman representative who went with a few of the church leaders to Malakal for a second evaluation of the area. They stayed in the government palace for a week and went out daily assessing the damage. The whole church compound is occupied by the army, the moderator’s house is used by the commander-in chief of the army, the other church buildings and Presbyterian school buildings are being used by the army officers and staff. The Arabic/English congregation’s building in Malakal is used as the hospital for the army for the sick and injured soldiers. The South Sudan hotel and markets were looted completely. The mission houses, GIT’s building, the Nile Theological College (NTC)’s building and the Women’s Department’s building and contents of all the buildings were looted. All small houses were destroyed, some burned, and she saw broken computers, television sets and important documents and folders all scattered everywhere. No activities are going on, and all the people who were in the U.N. compound have been moved to nearby countries like Uganda, Ethiopia or Kenya.
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Jacob (blue shirt) walking to the village church in Juba with the pastor
The woman representative, Ms. P., told us of many incidents. Let me give one or two. During the second week of December 2013 the Women’s Department cooked some food, took some soaps, small towels and a few items to the prisoners in the Malakal jail as they used to do every year. The jailers ate and thanked the ladies, sang Christmas songs, prayed. During this visit, Ms. P. met and talked to Mr. S., her cousin who was a prisoner. When she went back for the reassessment of the situation, she saw Mr. S. sitting on a chair, checking people, in a military uniform and with a big gun. She went near him and said, “Oh, you are a soldier now!” He replied “Yes, Auntie, I am a soldier now. During the fighting the guards had to leave, so they let us come out and gave us uniforms and guns.”
Ms. P. was walking through a street to go and check the Women’s Department area, where she was very familiar and could speak several dialects. There were two men walking in front of her at different distances. Then a man in a soldier’s uniform came behind her and told her: “You tell me who those two are, and you know them, I am sure. If you do not tell me, I am going to kill you.” Even though he appeared drunk, Ms. P. said clearly in his dialect: “I do not know those men at all and I am a civilian and you are a soldier. If you kill me, you will be taken to the Juba jail like the other soldier who was taken few days ago.” He did not say anything and walked away fast. God answered her inner prayer! She saw some bones and skulls on the way along with tall grass and shrubs.
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Dinka Presbyterian Service with two drummers and choir in a village in Juba, South Sudan
After we bought vegetables from the Juba market, we got into an old Toyota van that runs like a bus. We had to wait for it to get filled. Then a young man came to the window to sell some lotion, soap, and a small towel on a plastic tray. As we did not need them, we said, “Thank you, we do not need these things now.” He said, “I know you came to help us. I can serve you—just give me 200 pounds.” Aliamma said: “You pray to Jesus. He can give you a good job and then you can have more than that amount.” He replied, “You know, after God, America is our help.” The bus then took off before Aliamma could respond.
Then we met a soldier and his friend at a coffee shop. They were eager to know why we are here in this difficult situation, and when we explained what we were doing we had an active conversation. The soldier’s friend is the tax collector for the Government. They each expressed points about how we can please our God through our vocation. We can bless people through a genuine smile, without saying a word, which can tell others that you like them. A smile can hug someone with love without a physical touch. Numbers 6:25-26 shows that God smiles on His children. We can experience God’s love through smiles and conversation.
As the Lord graciously smiles on our life, let us smile at people, giving them the message of God’s love to the needy in our day-to-day life. That is what we are doing in South Sudan at this special time, which is possible only through your prayers and financial support. We go out daily in Juba to talk to people individually and in small groups to bring trauma healing in their lives.
Blessings,
Jacob and Aliamma
Juba, South Sudan
The 2014 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 129
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