Administrative note

If you think you are on my email list, but did not receive the latest update titled: Travels in Sudan, than your email program may have blocked it. I have received a lot of returned messages, I think because my list is quite large.

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Presiding Bishop’s Call to Action for Sudan

See the following article by the US Presiding Bishop, about the current situation with LRA rebels in South Sudan, and how you can get involved:

http://episcopalchurch.typepad.com/episcope/2009/01/presiding-bishop-issues-statement-on-the-situation-in-sudan.html

Bishops Jones and Gray who she mentions, will be joining us in our travels next week.

Travels around Sudan

I arrived in Sudan one week ago today. It has been an eventful week. I have been traveling with a delegation from the US, Buck Blanchard from the Diocese of Virginia and Phil Darrow from the Diocese of Chicago, who are working on helping the dioceses here develop partnerships with dioceses in the US. We traveled more than 36 hours this week, on dirt roads that sometimes were so bad that the beaten track left the road and meandered out into the bush for a few miles. And these were mostly the main roads leading from Juba to Kenya, to Uganda, and to the north.

We traveled around the diocese of Torit and to the diocese of Bor last week, two of the largest dioceses in the south. In Torit, we saw the devastation left behind by years of LRA occupation, which ended about 8 months ago. Bishop Bernard hosted us, and took us to see what had been Kony’s base camp in the village of Kubi, where the people showed us a big pit not far from the church, that was the mass grave of more than 270 people who were killed by Kony in one day back in 1995. The atrocities in Kubi continued through the years until the villagers finally managed to push him out by force. We met many malnourished orphans in Kubi, and learned that there was no school in the area for them to attend.

In Torit, we traveled as far east as Kapoeta where the two Episcopal Churches in town get a Sunday attendance of more than 1,000 people each. There were many people living in Kapoeta who had been displaced from the diocese of Bor during the war. We were warmly greeted in Kapoeta and everywhere else we went with song and dance, food and beverage, speeches and prayers.

In the town of Mugwe, in Torit diocese, I saw some of the most beautiful agricultural soil I have ever seen, deep black soil, so soft you could stick your hand into it, even without tilling. Yet the people of Mugwe were starving. More than 50,000 people who had been refugees in Uganda have been resettled in Mugwe in the last year. The UN provides them with 3 months supply of food, and basic materials, but the food had run out, and they hadn’t arrived in the planting season (which starts next month), and so are left without food until the first harvest of “hungry food” in June. We sat with the church council leaders, and the pastor, and the leaders of the youth group, in their mud and thatch church. They told us about how their pastor was killed by the LRA two years ago. They were thin and tired, and the children gathered outside had swollen bellies with their ribs poking out. The youth spoke of how they were glad to be home because it meant freedom that they had never experienced, but one young lady spoke up and said “I cannot hide the truth we are starving”. The youth said that they wanted to learn about agriculture, and I promised to return with moringa trees and an agriculture workshop, and the province is planning a large-scale agriculture project for food security and income generation in that area, which will help tremendously. Bishop Bernard said “We hope that hunger will not be a problem with these people next year.” The church people have also taken matters into their own hands, planting a cassava field.

My heart was broken in Mugwe. As we drove away, I knew the church could do something for their future, and that I could help, but the weight of their suffering right now was heavy on me. I felt as though the task which God had given me was impossible, and full of heart ache. Just then, Phil said, “Look at that rainbow”. And it was as though God had set Noah’s rainbow in the sky again, it’s foot this time in a cluster of tukls (traditional huts). And it was a reminder, that my job isn’t to hold onto the suffering of the world. My job is to, as Susan Copley says, “just love the people”. And I will do my best to keep my eyes and ears and heart open. And do my best to communicate the suffering of the people to those who will pray, and to find the appropriate channels for getting assistance.

In the Diocese of Bor, I was excited to find that most parishes have some kind of small agriculture program to help the needy and give support to the pastors. In Bor they don’t know how many Episcopalians there are, but it’s more than 200,000. And the number grows and refugees return from foreign lands. At the cathedral on Christmas they had 12,000 people! A vast majority of the population are ECS (Episcopal Church of Sudan), approximately 80%. And the church does it’s best to assist the people and organize schools and agriculture projects. It was so inspiring to see the church totally alive, serving the poor, preaching love and reconciliation in a place torn by war and division… and all with so little resources.
Blessings to each of you. Thank you for your prayers, and thank you for making this work possible. And remember that you can get more involved through prayer, advocacy, and helping to alleviate hunger in your own community. We do these things, not out of obligation, but out of the love we have received in our own hearts. Because by giving we receive, and are transformed.

December Reflections

As I prepare to leave for Sudan, I am both excited and sad. I am so excited about this new opportunity for transformation, for service, for discovery, and for journeying together. But it is also sad, as I have to say goodbye to ministries I have loved, especially my work with the World Mission Network of the Diocese of El Camino Real (http://worldmissionnetwork.blogspot.com/), and with the Outreach Committee and Vestry at my home parish, St. Luke’s Atascadero. And as always, it is difficult to say goodbye to my family and friends. Especially as my nephew Jacob learns to walk and talk.

This month has echoed this joy and sadness for me. I had the excitement of attending the annual conference of the organization that has given me so much training and assistance in tropical agriculture (ECHO, Fort Myers, Florida). My time there was full of new contacts and exciting new ideas and resources, which I know will be of great value to me in Sudan.

But I have also had sadness this past month from losing a friend, who passed away just before Thanksgiving. Conney, who was a bible study friend of mine, was passionate about mission work, and she helped me to discern my own call to mission. She was beloved by all who knew her, and was taken from us far too soon. She continues to inspire me by the example of her kindness, her faith, her patience, and her passion for mission.

The lesson for me this month seems to be: let go of the question “why” which only brings emptiness and longing, and move toward the question “where is God in all this?” embracing the intention to rely on God. Very little in this world makes sense, why Sudan has suffered so much, why Conney was taken from us. But truth is found in what we know: leaning on the love of God we will be comforted, acting out the love of God we will be transformed.

Sermon- Visalia Episcopal Church

I preached at the Continuing Episcopal Church of Visalia on November 30, 2008
St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Visalia was the parish I grew up in, and I attended St. Paul's School from pre-school to 8th grade. It was wonderful to be back with members of the congregation who I hadn't seen for 13 years. While in Visalia, I also gave a presentation at St. Paul's School, and to the Visalia County Center Rotary Club.

This sermon is based on the readings of the day (see below). I talk about where I find hope in the world, and the hope and challenge of the Gospel reading.

Click here to see the readings of the day

Isaiah 64:1-9 Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19 1 Corinthians 1:3-9 Mark 13:24-37

Sermon- St. Luke's, Atascadero

I preached at my home parish, St. Luke's Atascadero on November 16, 2008
The sermon was about letting go of fear, and based on the Gospel reading of the day

Click here to see the readings

Judges 4:1-7 Psalm 123 I Thessalonians 5:1-11 Matthew 25:14-30

Life Abundant

(Photo: myself speaking at a church in Kampala)
I returned Monday from my visit to Sudan. It was an amazing, and transforming experience. I have accepted a position as the “External Agriculture Consultant” for the Province of the Episcopal Church of Sudan (ECS). I will be based in Juba, which is the capitol of the south, but I will also be traveling to the 24 dioceses while working on a strategic plan for agriculture development projects throughout the Province. I will begin this position in February, 2009.

I was nervous about this trip, never having traveled alone in Africa, and uncertain about the procedure for getting into Sudan, but it was a grace filled experience of learning to let go, and depend on others. I flew from San Francisco, to Washington DC, to Rome, to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to Kampala, Uganda, where I was met and assisted by staff of the ECS office in Kampala. Two days later, I flew into Juba, where I was met by Bishop Alapayo of Rumbek, and two other staff members of the ECS, smiling broadly, and greeting me as an old friend. I would love to paint a picture for you of the incredible functioning chaos that is Juba International Airport, a two-room airport that can function without power! But, there is much more I want to tell you.

My first three days in Juba, I spent with bishops from all over Sudan who were gathered for a two week training course. It was a great opportunity to get to know some of them, and I took the chance to interview 16 bishops about the agriculture situation and challenges facing their diocese. These bishops are remarkable people, working against tremendous odds, with hardly any resources, to heal the brokenness that divides their people, and to provide desperately needed services. During the war, Christians were persecuted, people were massacred, and yet, the Episcopal Church of Sudan kept it’s churches and 2,000 schools open amidst the conflict. Now as they struggle to build infrastructure and services, their pastors toil without pay, and many of their churches and cathedrals meet under the shade of mighty trees.

Bishop Paul from Torit preached an inspiring sermon to his fellow bishops where he said “As long as we continue to see Jesus in our midst, we will inherit a double portion of the spirit”. Bishop Ezekiel from Bor explained to me that it is the message of love, absolute love, absolute forgiveness and reconciliation, that Jesus preached, which is the message the people of Sudan need so desperately. Bishop Ezekiel’s passion for preaching the Gospel, as the healing balm that is the only thing that can bridge the divides that racism, tribalism, genocide, massacres, and war have left behind – the only thing that can bring a lasting peace to his people; is a passion that is shared by the other bishops. Three days in their presence completely re-defined evangelism for me.

For these bishops, and the 4 million Anglicans in Sudan, the power of Jesus’ message of love isn’t just a choice of religion. Jesus’ message to take up your cross and follow him, is not a vague metaphor. These are powerful messages of hope, they mean the difference between suffering and healing, life and death, war and peace. The faith that they have is not reserved for Sunday services, their faith is something that affects the way they live their lives.

I spent some time talking to Daria Kwaje, who is the ECS staff officer for The Mother’s Union. This is a women’s movement throughout the church. Members mentor and guide young mothers and those who are new to the faith, in what it means to raise their children in love of Jesus. They give assistance to families who are going through rough times, and they gather regularly to pray.

“Even though our bodies may suffer now, we thank God, because we know that he is about to do amazing things in our lives” – one of the bishops praying on behalf of the assembly.

I also visited Rumbek while I was in Sudan, this is a town in the central part of the southern region of Sudan. In Rumbek, cattle herding is the way of life. I saw the mighty cathedral tree of Rumbek, and the Bishop’s office – a mango tree. I saw children coming to the bishops house to borrow chairs, and then scampering off to their school under a tent. I saw young men and boys with semi-automatic weapons sitting alongside the road. As I walked through town with the bishop’s wife Helena, I saw stores overflowing with cell phones, bicycles, crates of soda, clothing, and many other goods, all of which Helena said had not been available just a couple years ago. I saw stray goats and cows wandering past, children carrying chairs to and from school, young men driving huge herds of cattle, men and women shopping, a huge charter bus preparing for the several day journey to Juba on impossibly muddy roads. What I didn’t see on the streets of Rumbek was heaps of garbage. Helena explained to me that plastic bags have been made illegal, and residents are required to rake up and burn the garbage once a week, because the cows can die from eating the garbage.

While reading the Strategic Plan for the Diocese of Rumbek, The following line jumped out at me. This is a passage of scripture that is the vision of the Diocese:

“I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10b).

Life Abundant! This sums up for me, my first experience of the Episcopal Church of Sudan. In spite of, or because of all that they have suffered, they live life abundantly. And we from the developed world, have so much to learn from them!

May God bless you this month with an open heart, and the eyes to see how abundant your own life is!