Advent Anticipation

From Robin Denney, Sudan:

Dear Friends,
I love the purple seasons.  Both Advent and Lent are seasons of preparation and anticipation.  When I was little I always liked saving the best for last, I would even peel the fried breading off the chicken nuggets to eat it last, because it was my favorite part.  The anticipation of something wonderful somehow magnifies the wonder of it.
In Sudan there are no Christmas carols yet, no decorations, no talk of presents.  The hot wind carries clouds of dust and smoke that herald the beginning of the dry season.  It is 90 degrees indoors, and it is hard to remember that this is December.  But many people are anticipating their trips home for Christmas, to their villages or the cities where their children live to spend long awaited time together.
I am preparing to finish my first year in Sudan.  I came in January, and I’m going home in less than two weeks now for Christmas, and to visit my family, friends, and churches (see schedule below). My anticipation is very great!  My nephew, who is two, can speak in sentences now, my sisters and I have already planed what movies we are going to see, my mom has a menu of all my favorite foods planned, and my dad is lending me a car to get from place to place.  I can’t wait to spend time with them all.  And the yearning is wonderful.  
There is a feeling of anticipation present in Sudan these days.  Anticipation of the unknown future of this country.  Hope for peace, fear of war. Next year is an important year in the history of Sudan, the next 13 months will shape the future of this nation, the possibility of democratic elections for the first time in decades, and a decision as to whether there will be one country or two.  Amidst this uncertainly, the LRA rebels continue to attack and kill in Western Equitoria state, and tribal conflict continues in much of the south.
In the last month I attended 3 services consecrating or installing new bishops.  They were wonderful services (which lasted an average of 6 hours).  There was much singing and dancing, much joy and celebration, and much hope for the future of the Church.  No matter what happens, the Church will be here, ministering to the people, of the people.  There is great hope in that.  Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ.
I met some people this month who inspire me.  One woman, wife of one of the Bishops, told me about how her community lives under threat of the LRA constantly.  Her older children are away at boarding school, but she must keep her two-year-old son with her all the time, because she is afraid to part from him.  Two of her nieces were kidnapped by the LRA almost a year ago, and there is no news of them.  The terrible weight of this suffering is something I would think impossible to bear.  And yet, there is still laughter, there is still joy in the midst of this suffering.  She told a story about a visit she had to the United States.  It was wonderful to hear her impressions of Walmart, and snow, and the food, and the first obese person she had ever seen.  She was so surprised and in wonder at everything she saw, and the way she told the story had us all laughing.
I also met a couple missionaries who have been here for more than 10 years.  Their stories were sometimes harrowing, sometimes frustrated, but always full of reconciliation and hope.  Their commitment, their presence, and their sense of peace was wonderful to be in the company of.
So as I wrap up my work for the year, turn my face toward home, and anticipate the birth of the Christ child, I am also contemplating the wonder and inspiration of Christ’s presence with us now, in all things, in all situations, great or small, fear or hope, we are not alone.  We have the creator, the redeemer, the sustainer, the communion of saints past, and the presence of the saints in our lives today.  We are the body of Christ alive in the world.
Love to you all, a wonder-filled Advent, and a joy-filled Christmas,
Robin
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California Church Visit Schedule:
December 20 – St. Luke’s, Hollister
January 3- St. James, Paso Robles
January 17- St. Martin, Davis
January 18 – (evening) Faith Presbyterian, Sacramento
January 24 – St. Luke’s, Atascadero
January 31- Visalia Episcopal Church
Feb 7- St. Benedicts, Los Osos
Feb 14 – St. Richards, Lake Arrowhead
Feb 17 – (ash Wednesday) St. John’s, San Bernardino
Feb 21 – St. Barnabas, Arroyo Grande
Feb 28 – St. Stephens, San Luis Obispo
(More mid week events may be added).
Contributions:
If you feel called to support my presence in Sudan for the next year:
Checks to: St. Luke’s Atascadero   Memo: “Missionary Fund”
Address: PO Box 1168, Atascadero, CA 93422
(If you would prefer to donate to special agriculture projects or scholarships, or other support to the Episcopal Church of Sudan, let me know, there are many opportunities).
Blog:
See my blog for other info and stories: http://robin-mission.blogspot.com/

Photoshop.com Album: Beta Companion Videos Group Album

The Death of an Archdeacon

From Rev. Michael W. Ridgway, St. Stephen-in-the-Field:

Faith J.H. McDonnell
Featured in World Magazine "Do the math" November 07, 2009

Most likely, the militia (and its sponsors) targeted Mabior because he was a prominent, beloved leader in the community. He had recently become archbishop of Twic East diocese, newly formed to accommodate the fast-growing church in Bor county, which is part of Jonglei state in South Sudan.

While the Obama administration has focused on legendary atrocities in Darfur, the western region of Sudan, the UN reports that the rate of violent deaths in South Sudan now surpasses that in Darfur. Lise Grande, UN Deputy Resident Coordinator in Southern Sudan, recently said more than 2,000 people had died and 250,000 had been displaced by inter-ethnic violence across the region.

Witnesses report that Mabior was shot twice in the legs and that his attackers may have also used a military knife called a "sonki." After the first shots, 30 men and women from the church and town, including tribal chiefs, soldiers, a university student and other youth leaders, and several of the town's oral historians, covered Mabior with their own bodies. All 30 gave their lives in their effort to protect him. Mabior died two hours later.

In the aftermath of Mabior's death the Episcopal Church of Sudan is grieving: "Everyone in the diocese of Bor and the diocese of Twic East is painfully shocked and devastated at losing Joseph. Archdeacon Mabior was a father to many and a mentor to many of us who are clergy," said John Chol Daau, a priest of Bor diocese currently studying at Trinity School for Ministry in Ambridge, Pa., and a former Lost Boy of Sudan who worked closely with Mabior.

After Mabior's death, Daau phoned Nathaniel Garang, the bishop of Bor. "Son, I lost a strong man, a follower of the living Christ who never hesitated to preach the gospel of Christ to our people," Garang said as he wept. "He was like my frontline captain as he and I preached the gospel . . . a great intercessor . . . a pastor and a leader . . . full of patience and love . . . very humble. . . . He would always want to care and serve in any circumstance."

Read it all.

Interfaith clergy letter on Sudan peace delivered to White House

From Rev. Jerry Drino via the ENS:

Episcopal, other faith leaders participate in October 2 meeting

By ENS staff, October 02, 2009

[Episcopal News Service] Bishop Suffragan David Jones of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia and Alexander Baumgarten, interim director of government relations for the Episcopal Church, joined faith leaders from Christian, Muslim, and Jewish traditions for a meeting at the White House October 2 to present a copy of a letter on comprehensive peace in the Sudan signed by more than 1,400 clergy from across the United States.

The letter, organized by the Sudan Interfaith Working Group, of which the Episcopal Church is a member, urges President Barack Obama to prioritize "efforts that will bring peace to millions that live in violence and fear while lacking the basic services essential for survival."

Read it all here.

Rep. Zoe Lofgren responds to plea for action in Sudan with H.R. 2139

From Rev. Jerry Drino, Hope with Sudan:

Dear Mr. Drino:
Thank you for contacting me urging support for increased global humanitarian assistance.  I wholeheartedly agree with you that global poverty, which often results in hunger, is a pressing issue that we need to do more to help solve.  I appreciate your advocacy on this issue.

I am happy to inform you that, in part due to your advocacy, I have decided to co-sponsor H.R. 2139, the Initiating Foreign Assistance Reform Act of 2009.  This bill would require President Obama to develop both a
comprehensive strategy for global development, as well as a system for evaluating the effectiveness of foreign assistance.  The bill has been referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. Although I do not sit on this committee, I will do my part to encourage the passage of this legislation.

Read Jerry’s letter and Congresswoman Lofgren’s response here.

African boy's plight spurs donation from Las Palmas girl

From Rev. Michael W. Ridgway via  Off 68:

A 12-year-old African boy who could well have lived and died unknown to any American is being mourned locally by members of the Episcopal church — and particularly by 11-year-old Holly Kasten of Las Palmas Ranch.

Holly, who has epilepsy, was feeling glum about a prolonged seizure she had experienced while swimming when she heard a sermon this past summer by the Right Rev. Mary Gray-Reeves, bishop of the Diocese of El Camino Real.

The bishop described an encounter she had had with a boy named Sadiki while she was traveling on church business in Tanzania with two other bishops.

When the Land Rover the bishops were riding in stopped briefly in the road, Sadiki came racing out of the bush, trying to sell sugar cane. His face was terribly disfigured — it "was one, open, oozing sore," Gray-Reeves said in an interview last week — and a visible expression of horror on her own face caused the driver to speed off.

Read it all

In Darfur, Absence Of Fighting Doesn’t Equal Peace

From Rev. Michael Ridgway, St. Stephens-in-the-Field via National Public Radio:

U.S. and international officials say the situation in Sudan's war-torn region of Darfur is improving, but that is little comfort to Darfuris, who have a very different perspective. The situation in Darfur now may not qualify as war, but many say it doesn't look like peace, either.

The outgoing commander of the international peacekeeping force in Darfur, Nigerian Gen. Martin Agwai, said in late August that the war there is essentially over. The new U.S. envoy to the region, Scott Gration, says he has noticed encouraging changes as well.

Gration says the fighting has lessened significantly between militias loyal to the Sudanese government and rebel groups. The war that has reportedly killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions is now dormant.

Read or listen to it all.