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.

Appeal for Political Action – Sudan

From Rev. Jerry Drino, Hope with Sudan:

Attached are ten files all containing information as to how we can support political action on behalf of Sudan.  Readers are encouraged to review these resources and meet with members of congress and raise awareness; take action.

9/1/09 Appeal from the Archbishop of Sudan

1. US Policy in Sudan – What is at Stake
2. Talking Points for Meeting
3. Sudan Peace – Episcopal News Service 9/09
4. Some Pointers on Meeting with Members of Congress
5. Letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
6. Letter to Members of Congress
7. General Convention Resolution (Adobe Reader required )
8. Avoiding Total War in Sudan
9. Appeal for Political Action for Sudan 9-09
10. Advocacy Position August 4th

Trio of Bishops Seek to Strengthen Communion Ties

Article from The Living Church:

The initial meeting between Bishop Mary Gray-Reeves of the Diocese of El Camino Real and Bishop Michael Perham of Gloucester, England, at the 2008 Lambeth Conference was an auspicious one. When a protester jumped up and called Bishop Gray-Reeves “a whore of the church,” Bishop Perham stepped in to help his new American acquaintance around the protesters and on to safety.

This frightening encounter brought together two parts of what has become a trio of bishops — the third is Bishop Gerard Mpango of the Western Tanganyika Diocese in Tanzania — who have linked up as companion dioceses. The combination of American, British and African dioceses is intentional. The three locations encompass three regions of discontent in the Anglican Communion. By meeting, talking and working together, the three bishops hope to show that people of different cultures, and these three cultures in particular, can maintain civil relations and look for answers to divisive issues.

Read it all.

Discussing Mission with Three Bishops

From Katy Dickinson, St. Andrews:

John and I spent this afternoon at a workshop at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in San Jose, California with our own Bishop Mary plus the two Bishops of our Companion Diocese who are visiting this week:

• The Right Reverend Mary Gray-Reeves, Episcopal Diocese of El Camino Real, The Episcopal Church
• The Right Reverend Gerard Mpango, Diocese of Western Tanganyika, Anglican Church of Tanzania
• The Right Reverend Michael Perham, Anglican Diocese of Gloucester, Church of England

The workshop covered several topics. There were presentations about new programs to benefit the people of Bishop Gerard's diocese, including distributing solar ovens and setting up scholarships in this very poor area. John and I were in the "mission" discussion group with Bishops Michael and Gerard plus Reverend Canon Daniel Nyugwa (on Bishop Gerard's staff), Reverend Canon Brian Nordwick (El Camino Real's Diocesan Administrator), and Rev. Amy Denny-Zuniga (Priest-in-charge of St. Luke's, Hollister, and recently a missionary serving in El Salvador).

To see photographs and Read it all.

Companion Diocese Visitation Updates

Daily summaries of our companion dioceses activities and visitations are available on the diocesan website!  Click here or copy and paste the following URL: http://www.edecr.org/companion/companionupdates.htm

The diocesan visitation schedule is available here or by clicking the following URL: http://www.edecr.org/companion/companiondocs/Companion-VisitSchedule-200909.pdf 

Attacks in Sudan and new martyrs

From Rev. Jerry Drino,
More martyrs are being added daily in the Sudan. (Please see the these attached files: Sudan Tribune Account of Attack 8-30-09 & Archbishop of Sudan - Appeal 9-1-09) Jerry is asking the diocese for prayers and to be prepared to act by contacting their local member of Congress regarding this situation. He has asked the Office of Government Relations in DC to prepare a briefing statement which can be taken by members of our diocese to their local Member of Congress. We are gathering a national response to the Congress over this situation and should have an action plan in place in a few days. He has been in touch with Robin (Denney) who is safe in Juba but is deeply concerned with what is happening in the new Diocese of Twic East, where his friend Mark Atem Thuc is bishop-elect, and in the Diocese of Ezo.

The icon surely depicts the moment last Friday when Archdeacon Joseph Garang was gunned down at the altar with ten others as he was leading morning prayer.

Tribal attacks continue in Bor, Southern Sudan

From Carol Pecora, Hope With Sudan:
Lost Boys of Sudan, living in San Jose continue to lose family members in tribal massacres taking place today. Gabriel Makuei Tor lost his older brother last week in the raid mentioned below. Two weeks ago, James Majork Deng and Simon Kuri Deng lost their uncle in a similar raid. Peter Nyok's aunt who raised him was killed on Palm Sunday.
8/29/09
It is reported that a militia of over 500 had been deployed by the Khartoum Government to destabilize Jonglei State because of the leadership they represent in opposing the Government and moving forward with plans of the election in 2011 which will divide Sudan. He said that the militia attached the church compound where Archdeacon Joseph Garang and other church leaders were sleeping. The archdeacon, who is the administrator for Mark, was killed. Those who were wounded were transported to Juba but many of them died on the way.
Go to the Sudan Tribune web site and read the article by Philip Thon Alue, who was a recipient of scholarship assistance from Hope With Sudan.
http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article32287
Regarding these recent killings in Bor, a meeting is being organized with Zoe Lofgren, member of our House of Representatives, to urge her to take action in the US Congress.
How can your help? Support Hope With Sudan & visit our website:
http://hopewithsudan.org/get-involved/

Scores dead in South Sudan clash

At least 185 people - mostly women and children - have been killed in ethnic violence in South Sudan, officials say.

Members of the Lou Nuer community had gone fishing south  of Akobo town amid a severe food shortage when ethnic Murle fighters reportedly attacked them.

Eleven soldiers from the South Sudan army, the SPLA, who were protecting the Lou Nuer, were among those killed.

Several hundred people have died in such clashes this year - more than in Sudan's Darfur conflict, the UN says.

Most of the victims of the latest attack, which took place in the early hours of Sunday morning, were from the Lou Nuer.

Their camp is some 25 miles (40km) south-west of Akobo town, in Jonglei state.

Awash with weapons

Akobo commissioner Goi Jooyul Yol said that 185 bodies had been counted, including those of 12 soldiers.

He warned that more dead may yet be found.

"There may still be bodies in the bush, we don't yet know the full number," Mr Yol added.

He later told the BBC: "The attack was well coordinated and planned, and there was a lot of reconnaissance before the attack because they knew exactly who they were targeting."

The BBC's James Copnall, in the Sudanese capital Khartoum, says inter-ethnic clashes are common in this part of Sudan, where people are desperately poor.

The state's governor, Kuol Manyang, told the BBC that a few survivors had made it back to Akobo town, though many of them were wounded.

Those killed, he said, were on the fishing expedition because food supplies were running out following an attack in June on river barges carrying aid.

He appealed to the UN World Food Programme to find a way of getting food to them.

Violence over land and cattle in South Sudan is exacerbated by a ready supply of firearms following the end of the civil war with the North in 2005.

Analysts say the violence comes at a critical time for Sudan, as tensions grow in the north-south unity government.

Elections are due in April 2010, the first chance to vote for many in decades.

After that, a 2011 independence referendum is due for the south, which many believe will see Africa's biggest nation split fully in two.

Story from BBC NEWS:

TANZANIA SOLAR OVEN PROJECT

From ECR Administrative Update 2009 Aug 06:

Peggy Bryan, a parishioner at St. Andrew’s Saratoga and a candidate for holy orders, is traveling to Africa in October to visit the the Diocese of Western Tanganyika. The primary mission is to demonstrate the use of solar ovens to parish families within the Tanganyika area, a diocese in a growing partnership with our diocese, El Camino Real. Peggy will be scouting opportunities for other budding projects such as identifying a suitable clinic to dispense low-cost malaria medication; assessing the feasibility of launching Women Helping Women’s Micro-Loan program; and, consulting with local educators on starting primary schools.

The fundraising goal to purchase 50 solar ovens from Solar Cooking International in Kenya is $1,000. A $20 donation will purchase one oven ($16) leaving the balance ($4) to assist in transportation costs of the ovens between Kenya and Tanzania. All contributions are gratefully accepted! If we exceed our goal, we will increase the number of ovens purchased. Checks should be made out to St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church and can be mailed to Peggy at 1359 Arroyo Seco Drive, Campbell, 95008. Questions? Contact Peggy at Peg06262@yahoo.com or 408-371-7258. Asante sana! Thank you! [Photo from SCI Kenya]

Letter to President Obama-on the situation of Christians in Pakistan

From Rev. Jerry Drino:

August 3, 2009

Honorable Barack H. Obama
President of the United States of America
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 205500

Dear Mr. President,

In your speech to the Muslim world in Cairo on June 4, 2009 you said, “Violent extremists have exploited these tensions in a small, but potent minority of Muslims.” It is true and now this “Potent minority of Muslims” is actually becoming a large majority of extremists conducting violent acts against innocent human beings. After 9/11, the United State’s forces attacked the centers of tyranny of the Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants in Afghanistan. Osama bin Laden issued a fatwa: “If one Muslim is killed in Afghanistan, two Christians will be killed in Pakistan.” Since then, Christians have been systematically targeted in places of their worship and in Christian schools and hospitals. On October 29, 2001 four gunmen entered St. Dominic’s Church, Bahawalpur and started shouting: “Pakistan and Afghanistan, graveyard of Christians. Allah is Great. This is just the start.” They opened fire and mercilessly killed 17 Christians. Senseless killing of Christians has continued in Pakistan. A culture of Islamic militancy against Christians now flourishes and the small Christian minority lives under harassment and constant fear. In the last few months attacks on the Christian community have escalated.

The justification for the attacks on Christians is based of the draconian Blasphemy Law section 295 –B and 295-C passed in 1982 by the Pakistani National Assembly. These two laws make anyone deemed to have insulted the holy prophet of Islam or dishonored Holy Qur’an are liable for capital punishment and life imprisonment and fines. In its selective application, it has provided a pretext for private vendettas, but its victims almost always have been Christians.

Let me share with you few examples of the last few weeks:

June 30, one hundred Christian homes were set on fire in Bahmaniwala village in Kasur district. People still there remain without shelter and livelihood.

July 31, the Christian community in the village of Korian near Gojra in Punjab province was attacked by thousands of Muslims who accused Christians of desecrating the pages of Qur’an. Christians brought this matter to the Muslim elders for assistance. However, the Muslim Imam made announcements that Christian infidels needed to be taught a lesson. A large group of Muslims gathered from neighboring villages to protect the honor of their faith and to take revenge. Christians then heard the Imam, calling from the mosque’s loud speaker, for the faithful to attack Christian homes. The Christians fled to the nearby fields. Soon after the announcement, Christian homes were attacked. Their homes were looted and set on fire by Muslim militants. In addition, the Muslim mob blocked roads to stop police or fire responders to assist the assaulted community. Christians in Krian have lost all possessions, their livelihood and cattle. Yet, there is no official accounting of the loss of human lives as Christians are still hiding and afraid to return to their village.

August 1, continued the violence when thousands of Muslim Militants gathered in the nearby town of Gojra, seven miles from the village of Korian. In Gojra there is a small colony of several hundred Christian families. Two hundred Muslim militants, covering their faces and holding semi- automatic weapons, supported the several thousand who attacked the Christian colony. The attackers looted more than 100 homes and set them on fire. Witnesses reported that when Christian women begged to spare their children and homes, the attackers opened fire and killed four women, a man and a child. The leaders of the Christian community fear that more bodies will be discovered after police search the burned homes.

The British Broadcast Company reports that the local officials have confirmed that the rumor of desecration of Holy Qur’an was false. The Federal Minority Minister of Pakistan Government has accused police of negligence and failure to protect minority community.

The Rt. Rev. John Samuel, Bishop of Faisalabad who resides in Gojra, in a telephone conversation, told me, “We are in great distress and helpless. We have no protection and resources to help our Christian community. Today I saw the homes of our church members being destroyed and Christians being shot. Please pray for God’s mercy and protection for us.”

In the Province of North West Frontiers, Christians were issued written notices to leave or convert to Islam. Two weeks ago I visited Pakistani and Indian Christians in the Greater San Francisco area. I met a man in his late fifties who recently came to the United States from Pakistan. He informed me that his family had to sell their ancestral home of more than 100 years for a very low price and leave as their lives were in great danger.

Knowledge of these attacks stems from my personal connections; however, many additional accounts of violence can be verified, also.

The violence continues and innocent people die daily. We cannot remain mere spectators as basic human rights to practice freely one’s faith are violated. The United States has always advocated for the rights of the weak, defenseless and oppressed. In your speech in Cairo to the Muslim world, you clearly articulated the right to the free exercise of one’s faith. You said,

“Freedom in America is indivisible from the freedom to practice one's religion. That is why there is a mosque in every state and over 1,200 mosques within our borders. That is why the U.S. government has gone to court to protect the right of women and girls to wear the hijab and to punish those who would deny it.”

The cause for such attacks is direct result of the presence of the United States forces in Afghanistan. These Militants equate this to a war between Islam and Christianity. Christians in Pakistan are an easy target for revenge, and those in Pakistan are the poorest community and are targeted victims of the fatwa and blasphemy law.

Mr. President, I beg your attention to plead for the cause of the poor, defenseless and persecuted minority community of Christians in Pakistan. May I suggest the following measures United States government to consider?

1. The State Department, in collaboration with churches and North American Islamic Society, should form a High level deputation to visit Pakistan.

2. The United States Embassy in Islamabad-Pakistan should be instructed to grant asylum visas to Christians whose lives are threatened by the blasphemy law.

3. The President of the United States should ask the Islamic Government of Pakistan to repeal of sections of 295 and 295- B and 295-C of Pakistan Penal Code, the draconian blasphemy law. This law is the basis for the rising tide of intolerance, militancy and oppression against Christians in Pakistan.

4. United States Aid to Pakistan for refugees and displaced should also be given to those who have lost their homes and lives because of the militancy of Islamic extremists in the North West Frontier Province.

Mr. President, I beg you to hear the cry of the suffering minority in Pakistan. I speak in the name of humanity to seek justice and peace. I am plainly asking you to advocate for the defenseless. You are a man whom God has blessed with a spirit of reconciliation. Your desire is to bring people of different faiths together to build a world of peace and harmony. You have encouraged Muslims, Christians and Jews to come together. In Cairo you said, “Indeed, faith should bring us together. That is why we are forging service projects in America that bring Christians, Muslims, and Jews together.

There are thousands of Pakistani Christians who are citizens of the United States who beg for your help. We believe in inter-faith harmony. I have personally dedicated my life to bridge building between the Abrahamaic faith communities. Religious persecution, wherever it occurs, diminishes us all, and demands more than finger-wagging in response. I sincerely pray that God shall use you to bring an end to the persecution of Christians in Pakistan.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you very much for your concern.

Yours truly,

The Rev. Canon Patrick P. Augustine, D.Min.

Rector

Christ Episcopal Church
111 North 9th Street
La Crosse, Wisconsin

Update: Mid-Year Reflections from Robin Denney

From Robin Denney, Sudan:

Dear Friends,
I’m half-way through my first year in Sudan.  So I thought I’d reflect some on the journey thus far.  (my more traditional monthly reflection is posted on my blog, “God can revive us” June 1).  This is technically my June update, I’m a bit behind schedule!

I have been blessed in my work to see a vast amount of southern Sudan.  I have visited 19 of the 24 southern dioceses, and logged more than 150 hours on the wild pot-hole strewn dirt roads.  It is a tremendously diverse landscape, from black rock mountains in Eastern Equitoria, to dense forests in Western Equitoria, to the tree scattered grassland of Lakes state, to the flat dry plains of Jonglei to the largest seasonal swamp in the world that stretches across several states.  The wilderness of southern Sudan is vast.  You can drive hours without seeing a single hut.  

There are hundreds of people groups and languages in Sudan. There are tribes that are solely agriculturalists, and tribes that are solely livestock herders.  There are villages placed on top of rocky mountains for security, villages along fertile rivers, and villages of huts spread far apart on the plain.  I have seen the houses of the fabled three little pigs, made of grass, sticks, and bricks:  grass walls where people fear attack so they can escape through the walls, houses of sticks in IDP camps with a roof made of a tarp, houses of bricks in villages that have security and prosperity. 

It's hard for people in the developed world to imagine what life in a village of huts is like.  Most people survive on subsistence agriculture or livestock herding, but there are always shop keepers as well.  Living in a hut does not make someone impoverished.  Many of the bishops here live in huts, because no other housing is available.  It is the lack of schools and medical care which deeply affects people's quality of life.  No matter how far out we have gone, even days of driving past nothing but wilderness and occasional villages of thatched huts, to the most rural areas, you still find the same influences from the outside world: coca cola, western clothing, cell phones, plastic bags, and guns.

Life in Juba is different.  It is busy and there are traffic jams, lots of shops, buildings springing up everywhere, but it still has the feel of a country town, a country town with a million people.  On my way to work I pass some nice air-conditioned shops, and shops in sheds, and a man who has a copy machine on a rickety table under a tree.  There are piles of garbage along the streets, which slowly get cleared only to be replaced.  Juba is spread out enough that people grow some food in the open spaces and yards. There are only two paved roads in juba, not more than 2 miles long, which are also the only paved roads in south Sudan.  Everything that is sold is trucked in from Uganda, over the most impossible dirt tracts with potholes the size of elephants that fill with water, and rickety bridges, which means prices are highly inflated.  Juba is one of the most expensive places to live in Africa.  There are a couple Chinese and pizza restaurants, and even a large-scale brewery that just opened outside town, though drinking is discouraged among most Christian denominations.  The city feels quite safe during the day, but it’s not a good idea to go walking after dark, which is 7pm year-round, this close to the equator.  Most of the year it is hot, 90 degrees inside or outside, day or night, which means you get used to it.  But this time of year cool spells come with the rain.  

Conflict in south Sudan continues, though we don’t see it in Juba, we hear about fighting in the rural areas near by.  Occasionally we hear of someone’s relatives, or church members who have been killed, or children abducted.  The UN announced that the fighting in south Sudan is now more violent and deadly than what is going on in Darfur.  Death from treatable diseases also continues to be high, with child and maternal mortality rates some of the highest in the world.  Without peace there cannot be development.  Pray for peace!

I am still loving my job.  I am inspired by the bishops and pastors of the church, who work tirelessly without pay.  I love giving workshops on sustainable agriculture.  I love making connections between organizations working in agriculture, and dioceses who want to do agriculture projects.  I love the process of developing the details of a plan for the ECS Agriculture Department, when the vision came from the bishops and the people.  I love working in the demonstration garden I’ve started.  I love the enthusiasm for agriculture I encounter at every turn.  There are challenges too.  Banking issues have prevented us from receiving donor funding for our department, so I am still the only staff member of the department, and we haven’t been able to start our larger scale production projects.  I struggle to keep up with the daily tasks of the office, often falling behind, and getting overwhelmed.  I struggle with loneliness from time to time, it is difficult to be so far away from family and friends, especially when there are people graduating (congrats Jordan and Colleen!) and having babies (welcome to the world Reese!).  

Learning what life is like for other people in the world, realizing that more than half of the world’s population lives on $2 a day or less… this is important.  It’s not about guilt.  I don’t think that guilt helps.  But I do know that Jesus leads us by his example, out into the world, into relationship with people who we think are different from us.  Jesus broke the rules of society to cross the barriers his culture put up, to embrace the outcast and the suffering. Christ came not with wealth and power, but as a poor manual laborer who started life as a refugee.  He radically challenged the established, the wealthy, the powerful, and the comfortable.  He spoke strongly for justice peace and reconciliation.

When we open our eyes, and our hearts, we see that every last person on earth is the same, a beloved child of God.  Fixing or changing people or the world is not our work.  Our work is to be agents of reconciliation, love, peace, and hope in everything we do, in the way we live our lives!  And it is a calling of great joy!  I struggle with this as much as the next person.  It’s good to remember that being the love of Christ to the next person who walks into my office, is probably more important then my project planning!

Peace,
Robin

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See my blog: http://robin-mission.blogspot.com
New this month: A joke!  Reflections from another trip with the Archbishop, and a photo from my trip to Egypt, among other tidbits.

Want to know more about the Episcopal Church of Sudan? Check out their website: http://sudan.anglican.org .   Also check out the Agriculture Assessment and visioning document I’m working on implementing for ECS at: http://sudan.anglican.org/files/090520agriculture.pdf

I’ve decided not to post my financial reports online, but I would be happy to email it to anyone who would like to see.  I will also submit a full detailed report to each of my sponsoring churches at the end of the year, and email out a summary as well as post it online.  So far my mission fund has paid me a stipend of $500 per month, covered my travel expenses around Sudan and to Kenya and Uganda (mission related trips and one R&R trip).  And it has covered small needs as they arise like tools, seed, transportation of other people, vehicle maintenance, etc.  A big thank you to everyone who has contributed!!

Help Needed With Birth Expenses

From the Rev. Jerry Drino, Hope With Sudan:

Ajout, wife of James Majok Deng is about to give birth to their first child.   She lives in Australia and he in San Jose.   While she visited last year for four months they tried desperately to get immigration papers for her because he is a U.S. citizen but they did not succeed.   James is finishing at East Bay State University (Hayward) and only has a part-time job because his other job was terminated.   Ajout and James would appreciate any support you might give to help with the medical expenses.    Checks, which are tax deductible, can be made to Hope With Sudan, 5038 Hyland Ave, San Jose, CA 95127 or given to the Cathedral Office made out to Hope With Sudan.

Additionally, five of the Sudanese have been laid off because of the economy.  Any knowing of a part-time or full-time job can call Fr. Jerry Drino (408) 259-2111 or email jdrino@hopewithsudan.org.

San Jose Sudanese Graduates

From the Rev. Jerry Drino, Hope With Sudan:

Gabriel Makuei Tor arrived as a refugee four and a half years ago from Kenya.   He had watched as his friends left in 2001 for the US never thinking that he might never be called.   In the meantime he followed his vocation to ministry by teaching English and leading Bible classes for over a hundred Sudanese widows in Nairobi.  Then his day came to be relocated to San Jose.   This last Saturday he graduated from De Anza College with plans to enter San Jose State University in the fall in pre-nursing.  His ultimate goal is to be a priest.  He is a gifted choir leader, hymn writer and poet.   This is one of his poems that appears in the recent De Anza Journal, The Red Wheelbarrow:

Deep Down Beneath
Gone are the dead
Leaving with no pain
Leaving the pain behind
With remnants to bear
Missing nothing
But being missed
Deep down beneath the reach
Dead is dead
Not only dead
Dead has paid the debt
Under the world of no obligation
Wit no hand to give
In the dark, idle corner
The silent remains
Gone forever are the dead
Taking nothing more than wisdom
Were all ages and races meet
To live in peace then piece
Where sexes do not belong
Is where one lives again
Here,lay the dead.

Dean David Bird reflects on visit to Diocese of Gloucester

From the Very Rev. David Bird, Ph.D., Trinity Cathedral:

Dean’s Desk, June 2009 issue of The Carillon (reprinted with permission)

“Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” asked some of Jesus’ critics. “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household," said Jesus.

A strong current of tension runs through the gospel accounts of Jesus’ ministry and never more so than when he is at home. For such reasons I have often wondered whether it is indeed a good idea, as so many of us do, to go back home when we begin our ministry or whether we should start afresh somewhere else.

Faithful to tradition, however, I began my ordained ministry in the very diocese in which I had been confirmed as an adolescent. In a little under three years I was working in the United States, initially intending it to be a short term arrangement to learn particular skills before returning home.

Almost thirty-seven years later, this May, I returned to work in England for a week and found myself enthralled by comparing our religious cultures and understandings.

Undoubtedly we have much to learn from one another. There is a sense of permanence to the life of the Church of England that is beguiling and probably false. There is, by contrast, a sense of invention and creativity to the American church—and yet, in so many ways, we live in a much tighter liturgical straightjacket than some of the inventive parishes and ministries we were privileged to visit in the Diocese of Gloucester.

To see some of our English colleagues working in beleaguered housing estates (their equivalent of ‘projects’) was heart-warming. On a Saturday afternoon, we visited one church in which one of the groups meeting there was of the Baha’i faith and deeply concerned to see inter-faith cooperation in this troubling and financially troubled neighborhood. Their goal: to establish better community relations and encourage people to live by the Golden Rule (treat others as you would have them treat you). Here was potential for inter-faith witness and even worship.

On the surface, of course, we seem so much more progressive than the Church of England. The ordination of women to all orders of ministry is something we now take for granted. Here was a national Church still struggling towards the ordination of women as bishops. And yet the joy with which they welcomed our bishop was wonderful.

From us they could learn something about the fullness of ministry when it is truly representative of God’s people. In them we saw the church acting as a community of churches called to shared ministry with their bishop rather than a set of individual parish congregations—they were living out a vision we have committed to in this diocese.

Whenever we step out of our safe and customary environment, we are able to see possibilities in our own situation and even develop ideas we already accept but are still working towards.

We also saw reasons for the parallel but sometimes different paths of our respective journeys as members of the Anglican Communion. Our individualism as parish communities has some grounding in the particularly American experience of episcopacy. For the one hundred and sixty-nine years of the American colonies before 1776, we had to do without a resident bishop. The colonies were three thousand miles away for the Bishop of London (then our only bishop), most of which meant traveling by boat for a visitation. Doesn’t it make sense that in the American Church the bishop shares responsibility with a standing committee? The development of the standing committee was essential to the management of the church in our distinctive missionary situation and led to an expression of shared ministry which we model for much of Anglicanism.

Our distinctiveness comes home when we think of some of the great Episcopalian figures in US history— Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, Hamilton— and realize that together with so many of their contemporaries they had not been confirmed (then a requirement before taking communion) but were communicants of the church only through a special rule or canon which said that if you desired to be confirmed but could not be because of local circumstance you were permitted take communion. Is it any wonder that the USA adapted to the principle, enshrined in our 1979 prayer book, that baptism constitutes full membership of our church?

If I left Britain with one idea in mind it was that the companion relationship which we have with the Diocese of Gloucester, England and the Diocese of Western Tanganyika in Tanzania will locate in a fellowship of diverse church experiences which can lead to the Holy Spirit’s powerful witness among us. For that we surely thank God.

-David

World Mission Day Summaries

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

On May 16, a gathering of over 57 people met with Bishop Mary at St. Paul's in Salinas to hear the Bishop's report from her recent trips to our companion dioceses, Western Tanganyika and Gloucester. After her presentation, which included a slide show, commentary and a Q&A session, the participants broke out into groups to discuss and gather ideas around several initiatives supporting World Mission in the Diocese of El Camino Real.

The discussion groups were self-selected into the following subject areas each with their own discussion leader/facilitator: Solar Cooking, School Tuition, Pilgrimage, Micro-Credit Loans for Sewing Machines and Seminary Tuition & Hospitality.

There was lots of positive energy and enthusiasm in each of these groups. Summaries of their discussions and contact information for leaders/participants are available here.

Easter in Bor Diocese

From Robin Denney, Sudan:

This Easter trip to Bor is actually a peace and reconciliation and evangelism trip, as well as the Archbishop’s official visit to the Diocese of Bor, and the new Diocese of East Twic, just instituted today, April 13! We are about 75 miles north of Bor, and will continue to travel the rest of the week up further, returning to Bor.
This is Jonglei State, which has suffered from a lot of deaths from cattle raiding --750 died last month, and another 40 were killed in one village on Palm Sunday. This trip was put together to talk about peace and reconciliation in the Christian context. Since 90% of the population here is Episcopalian, it has particular impact!
We are traveling with the Archbishop, his wife, Mama Deborah, three other bishops, about 30 assorted pastors and staff, and a marching, dancing choir of about 150. The choir travels in two big open trucks.  There is a pickup with a generator and sound system for the rallies, so we make quite a convoy!
In other news, there was some trouble in Juba since we’ve been in Bor. No one was hurt, but a group of soldiers under one Commander in the southern army defected to join the northern army. This is a worrying development, as it shows some of the old dis-unity coming alive. The soldiers loaded onto a barge in Juba and headed north, apparently peacefully. Prayers for peace continue to be order!
I hope you all had a wonderful Holy Week and Easter,
Robin

National Geographic, "The Forgotten Faithful"

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

Followers of Jesus for nearly 2,000 years, native Christians today are disappearing from the land where their faith was born.

Read the article The Forgotten Faithful authored by Don Belt of National Geographic republished on the “Friends of Sabeel” website here.

And keep in mind that Naim Ateek, the head of Sabeel and author of the book: A Palestinian Cry for Reconciliation will be in the Bay Area July 24-26, preaching at Grace Cathedral at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, July 26.

Tell a Friend – Make a Difference

From Rev. Jerry Drino, Hope With Sudan:

Lost Boys of the Sudan Documentary

This Sunday, May 31 KTEH, Channel 54 at 6:00 pm,, will present their documentary, “The Lost Boys of the Sudan.” Facing genocide as little boys, Peter Nyok and Simon Kuir Deng will relate the flight from their villages in Sudan when they were seven, running for weeks with other boys to Ethiopia where they stayed with nearly 40,000 other boys for three years. At ten they were forced back into Sudan and down into Kenya walking over a thousand miles and confronting death by Government troops and wild animals. After five months they came to Kakuma Refugee Camp where they continued their education while living on the brink of starvation for ten years. They were resettled with sixty other former Lost Boys and Girls in San Jose starting in 2001. Tell a friend and go to www.hopewithsudan.org where you can make a donation to support the orphans they have brought down into Kenya and Uganda to get an education. Donations can also be sent to Hope With Sudan, 5028 Hyland Ave, San Jose, CA 95127

Appeal to the International Donor and Diplomatic Community in the Sudan

From the Rt. Rev. Daniel Deng Bul, Archbishop and Primate of the Province of the Episcopal Church of the Sudan:

4th May 2009

I, Daniel Deng Bul, Archbishop and Primate of the Province of the Episcopal Church of the Sudan and Bishop of the Diocese of Juba, am personally appealing to the international donor and diplomatic communities, on behalf of the entire Church and the entire country, for increased support and action in safeguarding the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).

Over the past year I have undertaken major tours of Southern Sudan, covering almost all of Equatoria, Lakes State and Jonglei State. During these visits I have witnessed first hand the suffering of my people and the increasing fear of communities on the ground because of a situation of ever-increasing insecurity. In the Church’s opinion, this is the biggest problem in Sudan today, and prevents any further material or economic development, as well as the free and fair elections desperately needed in February 2010 and the referendum on Southern secession scheduled for 2011.

Peoples in Western and Central Equatoria are being attacked, murdered and displaced by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), rumoured to be supplied by people within Sudan. A large number of civilians in Eastern Equatoria, Lakes and Jonglei states are armed. The proliferation of modern weapons has caused traditional tribal conflicts over cattle ownership and grazing rights to increase and escalate into far bloodier warfare all over Southern Sudan – warfare that is now damaging the unity of the people and the CPA process as a whole. Last week a large weapons cache was apprehended in Lakes State and there are rumours of trucks loaded with weaponry heading north out of Juba to fuel tribal violence in Central Equatoria State.

The only conclusion one can draw is that these are ancient disputes that are being deliberately stirred up into something much more damaging for the local people and the stability of our country as a whole. Who is doing this is still largely unknown, but it is evident from local reports received through the Church network that the arms smuggling, re-armament and incitement of tribal violence is being carried out by enemies of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).

During Easter 2009, I visited Jonglei State, travelling from Bor right up to Ayod in the Nuer lands. Although I and the vast majority of the party I was travelling with are Dinka, we were welcomed, and I as a Church leader spoke about love and peace between tribes. On my return to Juba I was informed that following the visit all cattle raiding and violence in the Ayod area has ceased. I take this as proof that the Church is one of the most effective ground-level players in the peace process and as proof that our message of love and reconciliation is one that is most effective in peace building amongst the tribes of Southern Sudan.

The Church has a presence in almost all small villages in the South, coverage unmatched by any organisation, including the Government of Southern Sudan and the SPLA, which in most cases are no longer able to keep the peace on the ground. The army is largely absent from effected areas, the police are too few to provide adequate security to even the County Commissioners, let alone the people, and therefore the government is in danger. As evidence of this I cite the fact that the police in Twic East County of Jonglei State were not able to contain local violence even during my visit to the area.

I am therefore making a passionate and heartfelt appeal to those governments and organisations that form Sudan’s diplomatic and donor community, in particular the United Nations agencies and the governments of the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Netherlands, all of which have a major presence in Southern Sudan and are guarantor signatories of the CPA.

As guarantors you have a duty to prevent this nation from returning to war, and I urge you to consider very seriously the churches as key partners in the work of peace-building on the ground. This is a problem that requires an ecumenical approach – all churches need to be supported by international stakeholders in the CPA to be tools of peace building on the ground. With our community-level network that surpasses any other, we need to be empowered to spread peace in this land as I have been doing in Jonglei State last month. We must teach our people that they are part of much bigger politics of which they are unaware, but which they are destabilising. They must also be empowered to make free and fair democratic choices in the upcoming elections and referendum.

My worry, and the fear of many thousands of people I have spoken to across Southern Sudan in the past year, is that the current escalating violence will add to the current disputes between the National Congress Party (NCP) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) over the North-South border and the Abyei Protocol, that are already threatening to cause the CPA to collapse. If the CPA is not guaranteed now, war can start again all too quickly, during which a return to peace will be incredibly difficult, the Sudanese people will be further devastated and the whole region will be destabilised.

If you are guarantors of the CPA, then why is the international community allowing this violence to continue? I beseech you to act now to prevent it and protect the peace of my people.

Yours in the love and peace of Christ,

The Most Rev. Dr. Daniel Deng Bul Yak
Archbishop and Primate of the Province of the Episcopal Church of the Sudan

Nanyuki Spinners and Weavers

From Claudia Ward - All Saints', Carmel:

In 2001 while in Kenya, a friend discovered Annah Warature and the Nanyuki Spinners and Weavers through a chance encounter. Being a spinner herself she sat and spun with the ladies and when she left she shipped home a bunch of their products which we then sold, returning the proceeds to Africa. My friend and I belong to Anne’s Web, a spinning guild here in Monterey County and since then the guild adopted the ladies in Kenya as a woman to woman project and we have individually and corporately sent them money for several years. We also continue to sell their products which they ship from time to time.

At some point I discovered that Margo Sisler, a fellow member of All Saints, Carmel, was involved with a knitting group in Nanyuki that obtain their yarns from the Spinners. Margo, until recently, has gone to East Africa annually for many, many years. After our serendipitous discovery, she hand carried the money and small gifts to the ladies every time she went. Also, my friend went back two or three more times.

We discovered that Becky Adams, the daughter of the Rev. Wayne Adams, retired pastor of Cypress Community Church in Corral de Tierra, founded and runs an orphanage in Nairobi. Wayne has visited the Nanyuki ladies several times when in Kenya to help his daughter. When All Saints and another church in New Jersey sent money to buy additional grazing land, Mr. Adams handcarried the money, helped Annah, the project director, make the purchase and open a bank account to which we could wire money in the future, making it much easier to help them.

Since the Rev. Adams retired, he has founded an organization called Hands of Hope International. Its main project has been Becky's orphanage but it has other projects as well and one of those is the Nanyuki Spinners and Weavers. The beauty of this arrangement is that any donation through Hands of Hope is tax deductible. They wire funds to Africa at no cost.

Now the story gets better. I am a co-supervisor of the Monterey County Wool Show. For the past several years we have had a display on this African project. At the 2008 fair a man came up to me and told me about his daughter, Megan, going to Kenya that fall on a Rotary scholarship. She is studying how to help women's organizations market themselves.

The big obstacle to financial success for this organization has been their limited access to international markets. Until recently they relied on the safari trade which was decimated after 2001. The political turmoil in Kenya in 2008 and now the world economic situation have continued to exacerbate their problems.

The most exciting news is that Megan is in touch with an organization out of Santa Cruz called Rising International which sells the products of artisans like our group from around the world. I connected Megan with the ladies in Nanyuki. She has been there, met Annah and placed an order which has now been shipped to Rising International. Pray that this organization has success in selling the rugs which have been the staple product of this organization. It is connections like this that will lead to financial success for this women’s cooperative.

If you are interested in being involved with the Nanyuki Spinners and Weavers project or would like to see some of their products, please email Claudia Ward: claudiajo@redshift.com.

England Visit Report with Photos

From the Rev. Canon Brian Nordwick:

View Bishop Mary’s visit to England with photos, please click on the following link: http://www.edecr.org/companion/Companion-TriadUpdate-20090513.pdf

Robin Denney on the cover of April 26th issue of "The Living Church"

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

El Camino Real's own Robin Denney is featured on the cover of this weeks "The Living Church" (April 26th, 2009). Inside there is a feature article on missionary work in the Sudan entitled "Sustaining Spirit in the Church of the Sudan" by members of The Episcopal Church. Among those pictured are The Rt. Rev. Nathaniel Garang, Bishop of the Diocesed of Bor and former interim archbishop of The Episcopal Church of the Sudan and Robin outside the church compound in Bor.

Article is available to online and print subscribers only :(

Photo: Phil Darrow

Hope With Sudan Report on Conflicts in Sudan

From Rev. Jerry Drino, Hope With Sudan:

The following is a report from the Rev. Jacob Nhial Guut, one of the Coordinators for Hope With Sudan in Kenya. He recently went on a fact-finding trip back to southern Jonglei State where he was born. The conditions are horrendous as he describes.

Please read the entire article here:

Update from Robin Denney - Episcopal Missionary in Sudan

From Robin Denney - The Sudan:

Dear Friends,

The convoy of three flat bed semi-trucks, half a dozen pick-ups and SUVs, and assorted government and police vehicles, thudded over potholes, fish-tailed through muddy slews, trundled over bumps and rocks, and occasionally zigzagged out into the bush or open plain searching for a passable route, all the while accompanied by the sound of drums and song coming from the 200 singing evangelists aboard the semi-trucks. In all we were, the Archbishop and his wife, three bishops, a hand full of staff, at least 30 pastors, government officials, soldiers, and the 200 strong marching choir. In a week and a half we traveled approximately 550 miles, averaging less than 20 miles per hour, through forest and plain and swamp, across territory plagued by cattle raiders and rogues, stopping at every village and town to greet the crowds who came to welcome us, preach about reconciliation, and pray for peace and justice. This was the Archbishop's peace, reconciliation, and evangelism tour of Jonglei state.

The Episcopal Church of Sudan is praying for Jonglei State in this time of insecurity. In March more than 750 people were killed, and on Palm Sunday 40 were killed in one village. Cattle raiders ambush the cattle keepers, kill them, and steal the cows, then fighting breaks out between the groups. (See my blog for more info).

We set out from Juba on Holy Wednesday. On Maundy Thursday we were in the town of Bor, which is the capitol of the state. Our marching choir, the "Youth Mamas", and the youth of Bor, led a prayer march around the town. We stopped, and the Archbishop prayed first at the hospital, then inside the prison, then at the government offices. Finally we ended up at the town square, where the bishops led a prayer and preaching rally, attended by thousands of people.

Most of the church women in Sudan and some of the men, carry crosses with them. They wave them when singing songs, hold them aloft in testimony, or just hold them as a tangible reminder of their faith. As we traveled along the road, I saw that people carried their crosses not just to church, but everywhere they went: walking to the next village, collecting firewood, hauling water... I wondered if they clung to their crosses because of the insecurity. The Archbishop told me it had become the way they lived their lives-carrying the cross. I was presented with a cross by one of the women, because I greeted them in the name of Jesus, in the Dinka language. So on Good Friday, I had a cross to carry and wave.

One of the villages we stopped at on Good Friday was the village of Kapat, where 40 people had been killed by thieves less than a week before on Palm Sunday. Jerry Drino tells me that some of our Sudanese brothers in the Diocese of El Camino Real lost family members in this village. It is a small village, and the people were obviously crushed by such a tragedy. And yet the Mother's Union still came out to greet the delegation, singing and waving their crosses. We stayed a bit longer at this village. One of the women was asked to pray, and though I couldn't understand the words, I could hear the passion of her faith behind her tears, and it moved me deeply. With the cross in my hand and Kapat on my mind, I thought about the meaning of Good Friday. And it seemed that this path we were on was the way of the cross. The suffering and fear and despair along the path is too great for us to bear. But Christ has borne it, and the people have found comfort carrying the cross of Christ.

On Easter, our open-air service in the village of Wangulei was attended by nearly 5,000 people. We continued northward to places so remote they had never been visited by an Archbishop or any dignitary. But the church was still there, cut off most of the year by impassable roads. We passed the conflicted boarder between the Dinka and Nuer tribes, into the Nuer territory. In the town of Ayod we were greeted by the choirs of 4 different denominations, for a wonderful display of Christian unity. We stayed two days, and I noticed the feeling change as we were there. Excitement and hope were building. The Youth Mamas were a particularly powerful witness, made up of many different tribes, on a mission together for peace. People were gathering where the Youth Mamas were camped-out to talk with them and learn from them. The people insisted we stay an extra night so they could slaughter a bull for a feast. The local witch doctor cast aside his magic accessories, and went to the Youth Mamas for prayer. 63 people were confirmed, three evangelists were commissioned, and three people ordained. And after the prayer rally, 5 thieves were caught. The group that gathered to see us off was a very different group indeed than the one that greeted us. Their faces were alight with something I had not noticed earlier-hope, courage, joy.

It was a Holy Week of walking in the way of the suffering, and it was an Easter Week of transformation by the risen Christ. The problems continue in Jonglei, with another 14 killed two days ago. But into this broken and hurting world we proclaim the hope of Christ crucified and risen. And I can tell you with certainty that that hope makes all the difference.

Blessings to you in this Easter season.
Love, Robin

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More stories on my blog from this month: http://robin-mission.blogspot.com/

- An article about the amazing journey to Western Tanganika I was blessed to be on
- A reflection on the Youth Mamas and evangelism
- A link to more info about the violence in Jonglei
- This letter with photos

From Joanna Shreve of St. Timothy's:

Dear Friends,

We are having a "World Mission" meeting on May 16th at St. Paul's, Salinas, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Our World Mission Network, along with the Conference Educational Resource Team (CERT), is going to be helping with the hospitality for this event. AS MEMBERS OF THE WORLD MISSION NETWORK We NEED YOUR HELP!!

1. We will be starting with a coffee hour at 9:30. It would be great to have several volunteers to help come to St. Paul's by around 8:30 a.m. to set up coffee, tea, etc. and make preliminary preparations for lunch.


2. It would be great to have some donated breads and fruit for this coffee hour also.


3. The lunch will have sandwiches catered and delivered by Quizno's. We’ll be placing this order and purchasing paper goods, drinks, chips, cookies, fruit, etc. as soon as we have an idea of what the registration numbers are.

REGISTER NOW AND INVITE OTHERS.

Registration is through Susan@edecr.org. People are being asked for a $5 donation to help defray the cost of lunch. Judging from the excitement around the diocese on World Mission outreach, we think this meeting will be well attended.

The agenda is still being developed, but from the most recent information we have, Bishop Mary will be talking about the Triad Companion Diocese Covenant and how it is shaping up from the diocesan delegations which she has lead to Western Tanganyika and Gloucester. A discussion will be had concerning this pivotal moment that our diocese is experiencing, how the other World Mission Partnerships will relate to the Companion Diocesan Partnerships, and how these other established partnerships might be of assistance to the CDPs. The youth who have done mission trips through the Sierra Service Project are also going to be invited to come and talk about their experiences. The challenges are “how to do together what we cannot do alone.”

There will be time for people to work together in small groups on specific outreach ideas. This would include a group that wants to address some of the issues about other parish relationships that are currently in place (Hope With Sudan, Haiti, Mexico, etc.)

If you would like to help with set up, clean up and hospitality or provide a treat for the morning coffee hour, please let me know as soon as possible. jrshreve@aol.com (Please put WMN in the subject line.)

Pictures of Tanzania from Gloucester Delegation

From Lucy Taylor, Diocese of Gloucester:

Here are links to our photos! You can view them at www.flickr.com/photos/36996861@N07/

You can view our links page on http://www.gloucester.anglican.org/mission/link/

The Global Episcopal Mission Network Meeting - May 20-23

From Rev. Amy Denney Zuniga:

The Global Episcopal Mission Network is holding its annual Mission Institute right in El Camino's backyard, at the Mercy Center in Burlingame from May 20-23. The focus will be on "making the local-global connection" and speakers include Dr. Jenny Te Paa, noted Anglican indigenous theologian from New Zealand, Dr. Henry Zeigler, medical missionary in Tanzania, and The Rt. Revs. Andrus and Charleston, bishops in the diocese of California. For more information and to register please visit http://www.gemn.org/.

Triad Companion Relationship - Tanzania Slide Show

Our world travelers Bishop Mary and Brian Nordwick are back from an amazing journey to our companion diocese of Western Tanganyika! And they've taken lots of pictures to share with everyone.

Rev. Canon Brian Nordwick sifted through over 800 pictures to present these 52 photos and 3 videos here in this slide show:



You can also check out the slide show in a new window and super sized here. Or if you like, you may view the subset of pictures used to create the slide show here. The entirety of the photos are located here.

Enjoy!

An Appeal from the Bishop of Yambio, Sudan: Theological Education Partnership Opportunity

From Jerry Drino:

Below is a communication between the Bishop of Yambio in Sudan and Jerry Drino. Yambio has one of the three school of theology that are function in the Province of the Sudan with 5 million or more Episcopalians. WIth only 20% of the clergy having had any basic formal theological education, the survival and support of the BYEET is very crucial for the health and growth of the Church in the Sudan. The Chruch Missionary Society in the UK has supported the school from the beginning but has recently withdrawn their funds because of lack of donations. Jerry met with the principal, the Rev. Jackson Bullen, in 2008 while visiting dioceses in Sudan. Please contact Jerry (408) 259-2111 jdrino@sbcglobal.net if you are interested in gaining more information.
Dear Rev. Jerry

Greetings and best wishes, I am writing this email to you as Bishop of Yambio diocese in support of the email sent to you by Rev. Jackson Bullen the Principle of BYEET. Actually this Theological School in the Diocese of Yambio has been very important for Yambio Diocese and even other sister Dioceses, and for Sudan as a whole, it has been training candidates from both Yambio Diocese and other neighboring Diocese like Ibba Diocese and Ezo Diocese, but having no any partner whom to partner with. Therefore i will be most grateful if you could enter into our partnerships discussions as you Aleda began with Rev. jackson Bullen. We can even start to talk about inviting you or anyone from there to come and visit us in Yambio so that we can find way forward for our partnership, possibly from July, 2009 to September,2009

Thanks, waiting to hear from you

Yours in Him

Bishop Peter Munde Yacoub
Bishop of Yambio

Triad Companion Companion Relationship: Western Tanganyika

From Rev. Canon Brian Nordwick:

We made it here safe and have had a great couple of days. A celebration with over 2000 in church at the cathedral today where the documents of the partnership were signed. All is well. We have a very busy and tight schedule. They are very welcoming and very appreciative of our visit.

Click to view movie/slideshow below:

or click the image below to view all pictures individually:

Triad Companion Companion Relationship: Western Tanganyika

World Mission Network Convocation Summary

From Joanna Shreve & Jerry Drino:

We had some great conversation at the World Mission Network Convocation this past Saturday at Church of the Good Shepherd in Salinas. Canon Jesus Reyes shared about his experiences as a missionary in Mexico and Brazil and how those experiences have helped form his approach to missionary work and to evangelism and congregational development. To sum up his message (which does not begin to do it justice!), he encouraged us to be open to imagining -- to remove preconceived ideas and stereotypes and, instead, be receptive to new and different understandings and experiences.

The Rev. Amy Denny-Zuniga and her husband, Vincent, shared about their three year experience as missionaries in El Salvador. It was hearing their stories that we found ourselves talking about "pilgrimages" rather than mission trips. Americans often find that visiting and living in third world countries can be such a shock because of the extreme poverty and hunger usually so prevalent. As we try to integrate ourselves into these communities, what is it that we bring and what is it that we can learn about ourselves and what is it that we can bring back to our home communities? Pilgrimages are transformational experiences and we need to pay attention to "re-entry" into our home communities for those who go on mission trips.

The Rev. Jerry Drino presented some thoughts and questions about the shift in our understanding of the meaning of mission for today. There has been a distortion in the past with the belief that mission was taking something to some people who did not have what we have. This is the "Imperial Attitude of Mission." From the teachings of Jesus it is clear that mission is God's Mission. Our vocation, if we chose it, is to arrive at the place where God's Mission is most likely to be experienced. Jesus gave a clear indication of where this might be when he said, "I was hungry and you feed me, naked and you clothed me, thirsty and young gave me to drink, in prison and you visited me..." Jerry talked about the Hawaiian concept of enlightenment called A'o aku a'o mai" which comes as a reciprocal experience of interaction between people, something that is discovered together and between each other. What is in the midst of such relationships is the Kingdom of God, Jesus' term for God's Mission.

The Rev. Jerry Drino closed out the day with a conversation around what some of our next steps might be as a network of people dedicated to promoting mission outreach. We hope to be on the schedule of the visiting bishops from our companion dioceses in September and we want to invite those who go on our summer mission trips to share their experiences with us, and hopefully support them in their "re-entry" back into our communities.

This March 2009 Convocation was prayerful, joyful and inspiring. We look forward to inviting you all to future convocations.

World Mission Network Convocation: Conversations on the Mission Partnerships We Build Together

From Joanna Shreve:

Saturday, March 14, 9:00-4:00 pm.

The World Mission Network of El Camino Real offers a tangible and practical way in which we connect with the Global Church and the needs of the world. As a congregation involved in world mission partnerships and seeking mission connections, we are being encouraged to send representatives to this “con-vocation” = speaking together.

Three conversations will be woven into the day:

• Mission Partnerships as Renewal of Congregations (Jesus Reyes),
• Cross-Cultural Discoveries and Sensitivities (Amy and Vince Zuniga-Denney) and
• Reshaping Our Theology of Mission for the 21st Century (Rev. Jerry Drino).

Come, be refreshed, renewed, connected and empowered for mission and help be a part of evolving this vital network in our diocese.

Church of the Good Shepherd
301 Corral de Tierra Rd, Salinas (off Route 62).

Cost: $5 per person.

Registration 8:30 am. PLEASE BRING YOUR SACK LUNCH. Contact Susan Altig to register: susan@edecr.org 831-394-4465. Contact Joanna Shreve with questions: jrshreve@aol.com.

Summaries Introducing the Diocese of Gloucester

From Bishop Michael Perham:

Please take a look at these four documents written by Bishop Michael, to help The Diocese of El Camino Real learn more about Bishop Michael and the Diocese of Gloucester:

• The Roots of the Diocese of Gloucester
  
• Introducing Bishop Michael of Gloucester
  
• The Challenges of the Diocese of Gloucester
  
• International Partnerships of the Diocese of Gloucester
  

(Very good reading and highly informative. Please post your comments; especially if you learned something unexpected, enlightening or surprising about our triad partner overseas -- ed.)

Resources for World Mission Sunday-- Feb 22, 2009

From The Rev. Amy Denney Zuniga:

In 1997, the General convention of the Episcopal Church designated the last Sunday in Epiphany as World Mission Sunday. This year World Mission Sunday falls on February 22, and the theme is "Building Up the Body of Christ" and support of the missionaries of the Episcopal Church. Here are some resources:

A poster is available for free download at http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79706_104293_ENG_HTM.htm or may be purchased through http://www.episcopalbookstore.org/ .

The weblog of ECR's own missionary, Robin Denney in Sudan, at http://robin-mission.blogspot.com/. Robin also has a video on the Sudan at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCpzcS2P_k8.

Need mission-minded preaching inspiration? The Rev. David Copley, Mission Personnel Director for the Episcopal Church, has a sermon for World Mission Sunday posted at: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/sermons_that_work_104663_ENG_HTM.htm
Additional resources for World Mission Sunday can be found at: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79706_21325_ENG_HTM.htm?menupage=75703 .

Urgent Prayer Request

From Robin Denney:

Please pray for the following dioceses in Southern Sudan, which have, this week, suffered major displacement of people, influx of refugees, abductions, loss of life, casualties, and destruction of crops and property, at the hands of the Lords Resistance Army (LRA), a group of northern Ugandan rebels:
Ezzo, Yambio, Ibba, Maridi, Mundri, Lui, and Torit

Sudan Prayer Request Details pt. 1

From Bishop Francis Loyo, Anglican Bishop of Rokon in Southern Sudan via Fr. Jerry Drino:

Dear Jerry,

Thank you very much for your concern for the people of the Sudan.

The people of the world are very busy with some of their own things and less concern with things or stories far away from them, however, there is a concern always for the Sudan where suffering is still created within the community which has just come out of the civil war for 21 years.

Can we share the burdens of the war with those who are keeping the people of the Sudan in prayers? We believed that some of these things happened and will one day go as well.

What is very important and urgent is the human sufferings and the great concerns for aged and mothers as well as the children who are living under trees and no shelters or even food to eat or water to drink.

Life is precious and we must valued it, so let us act together in prayers and in support for those dioceses of Yambio, Ezzo, Ibba, Mundri, Lui possibly Torit and we hope that it may not engulf other dioceses as well.

Please your continuous prayers support is highly appreciated with thanks.

Thanks,

+Francis Loyo.

Sudan Prayer Request Details pt. 2

From Fr. Jerry Drino:

Dear Friends,

I have just received this email from the Diocese of Salisbury, England who is in a companion relationship with the whole Province of the Sudan. The attacks of the Lord's Resistance Army on the Diocese of Mundri under score the precarious conditions under which the people and the Church in the Sudan exist. When I was leaving Sudan in December the southern government, Kenya and Uganda had launched an all out attack on all the LRA strong holds. However, an estimated 600 of their soldiers survived and continue their work. In the Diocese of Torit 90% of all the adults were killed. The bishops there are bishops of a diocese of children - over 60,000.

Pray for Mundri and all of the Sudan and the Church that attempts to serve peace and justice. Pray for Robin Denney who leaves on the 23 to begin her mission work as the agricultural resource person for the Province of the Sudan. Pray for her success and safety.

Jerry

Greetings to our Companions

From Bishop Mary:



Thanks to Rev. Ed McNeill for his production work on this video.

New Year's Greeting from Rev. Jacob Nhial Guut

From Rev. Jerry Drino:

Below is a New Year's greeting from the Rev. Jacob Nhial Guut in Nairobi. He does much of the coordination of our program in Kenya and is a deeply gifted spiritual leader.

Dear all Friends, Whatever is warm and inspiring...Whatever means most to you...Whatever makes you smile and brings joy to you... that's what I wish you this New Year 2009. Let all that I am praising the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good thing he does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. He fills my life with good things. My youths is renewed like the eagle's! The Lord gives righteousness and justice to all who are treated unfairly. He revealed his character to Moses and his deeds to the people of Israel. The Lord is Compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever. He does not punish us for our sins; and he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve. For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of heavens above the earth. He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust. Our days on earth are like grass; like wildflowers,we bloom and die. The wind blows, and we are gone- as though we had never been here. But the love of the Lord remains forever with those who fear him. His salvation exntends to the children's children of those who are faithful to his covenant, of those who obey his commandments! The Lord has made the heavens his throne; from there he rules over everything. Praise the Lord, you angels, you might ones who carry out his plans, listening for each of his commands. Yes, praise the Lord, you armies of angels who serve him and his will! Praise the Lord, everything he has created, everything in all his kingdom. Let all that I am praise the Lord. O Lord my God, how great you are! you are robed with honor and Majesty. You are dressed in a robe of light. You stretch out the starry curtain of the heavens; you lay out the rafters of your home in the rain clouds. You placed the world on this foundation so it would never be removed. You clothed the earth floods of water, water that covered even the mountains, At your command, the water fled; at the sound of your thunder, it hurried away. The people go off to their work, where they labor until evening. O Lord, what a variety of things you made! in wisdom you have made them all. The earth is full of your creatures. Here is the ocean, vast and wide, teeming with life of every kind, both large and small. See ships sailing along, and leviathan, which you made to play in the sea. They all depend on you to give them food as they need it. When you open supply it, they gather it. You open your hand to feed them, and they are richly satified. But if you return away from them, they panic. When you take away their breath, they die and turn again to dust. When you give them your breath, life is created, and you renew the face of the earth. May the glory of the Lord continue with us in New Year 2009 forever!. It was wonderful and joyful for me as I keep time without sleeping until the New Year come and to send you this at the same time. Blessings, Rev. Jacob Nhial Guut.