A letter from Jacob and Aliamma George serving in South Sudan
February 2015 - Meeting Strangers
The Third Letter of John, v. 5: Beloved, you do faithfully whatever you do for the friends, even though they are strangers to you.
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Ms.J
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Sunday School lesson, stories through drama led by Aliamma.
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Jacob blessing the offerings that people brought for the worship.
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Adult Worship in one of the refugee camp,praying for different needs.
Ms. J got a job in our apartment in Housekeeping. When we met her during her first week we just introduced ourselves to each other. Then, on her 10th day, when we happened to meet, I prayed in my mind to get more time to talk to her since both times she appeared very unhappy. Here is the summary of her life. In 1979 during one of Sudan’s periods of fighting, her parents fled to Uganda and ended up in a refugee camp there. They had their first baby in the camp, Ms. J, who is now 30 years old. She had her basic education inside the camp, then her higher secondary classes through the U.N. When the situation became peaceful, the family returned to South Sudan when it was part of Sudan, and then her father joined the army. When the family was living in an area near Juba, another big round of fighting came about and her father was asked to come out of the house by some soldiers, who took him somewhere and killed him. Ms J remembers that area; although that house is not still there, there are new buildings in the spot. So her mother took her back to the Uganda refugee camp. At this time an unknown mission agency helped her go for three years of training for nursing, and she completed it. Then she got married to a SPLA soldier of her tribe and had two daughters by him. She worked inside the camp helping with the health of the people living there. Her mother also was living in the camp. When everything was going well, suddenly fighting started in the country of Sudan, and her husband was killed, like her father, who was an SPLA soldier. Another sad event is that she lost her job, which was connected to a private agency that had to reduce its number of workers. Another sad situation is that she was told that she could get a job in the army department if her husband had belonged to another tribe! She even said, “I am only 30 years, but look older because of my troubled life.”
We consoled Ms. J, both of us saying, “No, you do not look old, you look young to have a 10-year-old and a 7-year-old daughter—it may be your feeling, but you are good-looking.” She smiled for the first time. I attach her smiling picture. The story goes on, but let me come to the conclusion of our meeting. She left the scene as a transformed person. When I asked her why she could not work at a clinic or hospital, she said that they would not like her because she came from Uganda, she does not like the way they do nursing here, others will not listen to her, and so on, giving vague excuses. Aliamma gave personal examples from her nursing career how you can adjust to situations with God’s help and how you can influence others and make them like you through a positive approach.
One evening Aliamma was sitting on a park bench watching kids on a swing, when a lady sat down and started talking. When she mentioned that she was working in a General Hospital, she said, “Why didn’t you go to a private hospital and work? In olden days people who went there died.” Aliamma replied, I see daily people coming to my unit in a dying stage, and then go home healthy and happy—everything is changed for the best. You can come and see any day.” That hospital is one of the best trauma hospitals today and Aliamma had the blessing of working there three decades. After hearing different examples, Ms. J decided to work in a hospital here and requested prayers so that she can be successful and bring her daughters and mother here from the Uganda refugee camp. She will receive her salary after only three more weeks; she is staying with some relatives who are almost in the same situation. We gave her a little help and prayed for her future. “Tell your people also to pray for me. I learned new things from you for my future,” she said. She had accepted Christ as her Savior last year in Uganda, so it was easier to explain some of the promises. She has a Bible at home, so she asked me to write down some verses for her. I did that and gave her a pen to mark them in her Bible.
Our refugee camp near the market is growing spiritually. The number of people attending worship services and Sunday school is increasing. When we started going there, there were only about 17 people, but now more than 117 people attend, and a new choir and new Sunday school have started. Jacob gives sermons and Aliamma takes care of the Sunday school. There are people to help with interpretation. They started reading the lessons in English also. There are two different tribes in this group. There is another group of refugees opposite to this road, which opened up in 1990s, and people have not gone back to their original places. They want to make a bigger temporary hall because the space in the present shed is not enough. Every week new people come and make new decisions and commitments to follow Jesus Christ. Many of the Sunday school students also have taken a serious decision to follow Christ. Theological Extension classes will be started at this center also, along with Adult Education. Let us tell you that it was an exciting event for all of us when our PC(USA) team recently visited this camp, including the General Assembly moderator, Africa area coordinator, regional liaison, director of public witness from the Washington D.C. office, and a few other important visitors. All the people in this congregation are Presbyterians displaced from different parts of South Sudan.
Dear family and friends, we are able to help people like Ms. J, and we hear about many heartbreaking events—not old stories but daily events! We are not able to talk or do anything without your help, support and prayers. We and our people thank you for your fellowship.
Psalm 34-10: His “ears are open to our cry.”
Blessings,
Aliamma and Jacob George
The 2015 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 139
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