Day Five.
As we bounced along one of the few decent roads in Sudan, tipping, twisting, and bopping our way along A43 toward Tonj from our visit to the village of Mapel, we all contemplated the stories that we had heard from the women that day. Not one single story we heard wasn’t filled with heartache and pain, but these women were extraordinarily grateful for us just for coming and hearing their stories and praying with them. Then Lizi said it, the word that has really defined how I have always felt about the Sudanese, and the word which perfectly defines any missionary’s trip: responsible. She said now that we have heard their stories and their cries for justice and healing, we are responsible for those stories…they are stories that must be told.
Snapshot of Saturday:
-Breakfast
-Loaded into the Land Rover and we were off
-Bounced along A43 for over an hour
-Saw monkeys on the side of the road
-Mapel visit at the Episcopal Church of Sudan
-Bounced back down to Tonj
-Saw a gazelle running along the side of the road
-Journaled
-Dinner, devotional, and early bedtime!
Mapel is a village with a harder edge, because it is primarily an SPLA town. Located an hour and a half from Tonj by car, Mapel offers little as a means to survival. The women walk an hour each day to fetch dirty, unsuitable water, the soil is rocky and infertile, and there are no pastures on which cattle could graze. It feels like being on the moon there, save for the human life that was the only sign that we were still on earth. We heard about miscarriages, we heard about husbands killed by war and disease, but the most difficult thing to hear was that the women are always at risk of losing their daughters. The women told us that the SPLA soldiers often come and take young adolescent girls and use their bodies to satisfy the men’s animal desires. The women search for their daughters, but even if they are lucky enough to find them, the girls have birthed children and are no longer considered marriage material…they are used and thrown out. What a burden it is to be responsible for their stories.
So, we had been there for probably close to an hour, and we had listened to the women tell us how difficult and sometimes dangerous it is for them to fetch water and how dirty the water is. Then, the pastor of the church brought in bottled water for each of the khawajas and Sabet. We all just looked at one another like, “What?!? We can’t drink this while they are sitting here after what they have told us.” We just sat there, not drinking the precious water that was given as a gift. A woman then asked Sabet if she could have a sip of his water, and the second he handed his over, we each grabbed our bottles and handed them over to the women. Whew! They were so grateful, and we were so relieved that we were able to give them something…
Though we had heard stories of the harshness of life, out of the ashes of despair rises the phoenix of hope. The women before us, though so incredibly and obviously pained by the harshness of life were also so filled with a love for our Lord. They worshipped Him freely, they praised Him in earnest, and they expressed joy that did not seem possible after what they had shared with us. Their joy is proof to me that God is so good and He gives His overwhelming love so freely to us. It was powerful to watch these women delight in our presence, yet pour out their hearts to us and ask only for our prayers. Not a solution today or tomorrow, but prayers.
Sabet stopped in the middle of the road for me to grab this picture of these boys. They had started fires in the distance to scare animals their way as a method of hunting. Interesting…
Highs:
-Seeing some African wildlife
-Watching the beautiful dances of the Dinka and Luo tribes
-Hearing such soulful songs of praise and worship to a loving and powerful God
-More off-roading
Lows:
-Hearing such tales of heartbreak and sorrow
-Listening to women tell of their daughters being captured and raped…and hearing Sabet confirm that he, too, had witnessed such atrocities firsthand
-Seeing just how harsh life can be and how evil takes root in people’s hearts
I hope now that you have heard and seen even a glimpse of their stories that you, too, will feel responsible to pray and advocate for these beautiful women and children of Christ.