Episode 4: Family Time, not Meal Time

   

    Many people view Africa in the light of it's third world status and seeming developmental backwardness. In South Sudan & other African countries, their isolation can be a blessing in disguise.They have held on to values & foundational principles which North America has lost. I was incredibly refreshed to find that the value of family is very ingrained in the culture of South Sudan among believers in Christ. There certainly are still abuses that go on in the family, like everywhere else, but in general the family unit is strongly held together. Respecting your mother & father is taken seriously by the young people & everyone really cherishes time together. 

       The place where family togetherness is most obviously seen is during family meals. In village life, food & having to eat was secondary to being together. There, If you did not have time to sit down & talk over the community food pot, then you might just skip the meal. In the course of a day's work, we would often purposefully miss meals until a time to gather together arose. 

        Eating South Sudanese style is quite the experience & basically every little boy's dream. The family or friends sit in a circle around a large pot & tray. The pot will contain some source of protein (goat, chicken, fish, beans, or beef) in a sauce & on the tray, rice balls or a South Sudanese bread. After prayer, everyone breaks a piece of bread or rice with their hands & dips it into the community pot. You guessed it, Africans don't use silverware & my friends over there were quite surprised to find out that westerners only use utensils! I know most germ conscious people are squirming in their seats right now, but it really is a bonding experience & quite fun actually. Over the meal is a general flow of conversation on all subjects, where everyone contributes. Serious & sober minded discussions take place, as well as good natured humor & a laughter which is contagious. It certainly is a joy to share a meal with people who become just like your family & want to spend time with you. 

    Please pray for the people in South Sudan that the Beth Israel Church is reaching out to & the problems that they struggle with. These include alcoholism, laziness & abdicating of responsibility among fathers, brewing of beer among women for income, & parents avoiding the hearing of the Word at Church. Often mothers or children have to walk to church alone while father, mother, or both are at home, drinking or making money off a cheap alcohol that just continues a destructive pattern. God is beginning to do a work in our village & discipleship is taking place through the Church, corporately & one-on-one. (See testimony below) 

Thank you for your prayers & support as God rebuilds the family & Church of Christ in S. Sudan, & the nation.

Erminia is a former refugee who lost her husband & six of her eight children during the war. We first met her in 2009 in our Mission Compound at Borongole. At that time, she was busily pumping water to brew liquor for income. Driven by poverty into a life of debauchery, she was known in the community as a drunkard & a prostitute. Crowds of godless men would flock each evening to her hut for a bottle of liquor & to take advantage of her vulnerability.
 The Church building is directly in front of the water pump, & each Sunday we would invite her to join us on our way to worship. She was not interested in the things of God, & would spend the morning sitting at the well, loudly mocking churchgoers as they passed by. Pastor Michael & his family ministered to her needs & faithfully prayed for her every day for four years. Erminia eventually began to see her miserable condition as a result of her sinful nature. The Lord’s mercy then caused her to understand her need of Christ, & this year Erminia turned her life over to Jesus.  She has rejected her past life, stopped brewing alcohol, & embraced  a new life as a transformed woman of God.  With the encouragement of our church family, she began using her talent as a hairdresser & is now able to support her two children with dignity. She is known for artistic & tasteful braiding designs throughout the community. Erminia was among 30 people that we baptized on April 21, 2013. Her beautiful smile radiates the joy of the Lord.