January 2011
I am certain you have all seen and heard through the media that the self-determination Referendum for the people of Southern Sudan has been a tremendous success. There have been very few reports of violence. In fact, Juba is more peaceful than I have ever known it to be. Juba’s current mood can only be described as quiet excitement, a visible relief that all has gone well, and a thankfulness that so much has been achieved in spite of grave doubts.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who were praying and sent messages of support for the people of Sudan during what has been a very busy week. We can only give thanks to God for his provision and his faithfulness for all the people in Southern Sudan - I include myself here, of course - and I can only thank you again and again for the love and encouragement you have shown me over the last very challenging 11 months.
The little time we have until July will surely be testing for the south. Additionally, the Episcopal Church of the Sudan will have to again assert itself as a dynamic and significant entity for what is looking like an independent southern republic as well as for the territory in the north. You’ll all know that the ECS won’t suddenly have a larger geographical area to cover. However, with the division of the country and change in political administrations, there are different challenges we face. This, of course, means even more hard work and preparation. It also means that being the baby in this renaissance, we and the people of southern Sudan at large are going to need your support, most of all in prayer and in guidance.
I can say that the current southern Sudanese spirit is a personal motivation. The spirit of peace and cooperation, of second chances and fresh hopes and, most impressively I feel, a determination to achieve and fulfil one’s dreams is certainly present. It might sound melodramatic and highly romanticised but it’s true. On the 9th whilst walking to the office to meet the Archbishop just before he voted, I was stopped a number of times by people singing and dancing, wanting to shake hands and celebrate this ‘vote for freedom’. One man even stopped his car to shake my hand! As Advent reminds us, God is with us; I can affirm that He certainly hasn’t left us.
You will all continue to be in my prayers and the prayers of the province this year. Please do keep in touch with information on how you and those around you fare this year especially if your church, diocese or organisation has a newsletter. I will also pray that this year is a year of development, prosperity and peace for all of you in your respective places.
With much love
Rebecca
Merry Christmas!
I hope you are all well. This is going to be a relatively short and boring email, I'm afraid. I know Mum had told some of you that I wouldn't be home for christmas but I know not all of you had been told. I'm currently in sunny Ghana with some of my family where I will be spending Christmas and the New Year. I'll then proceed back to Sudan from Ghana so I won't be back in the UK until the summer. Any christmas presents can be sent to my house in the UK whence my cousin can receive it and bring it to me belatedly before I leave Ghana, yeah. Thanks so much.
Ghana is absolutely amazing. I keep thinking I'm in England and then I remember how hot it is and I'm brought back down to earth. It's the best place to be after a really stressful and fairly emotional few months in the Sudan. Please all pray and think happy thoughts about my work in 2011. If you've been following the news, you'll know that January 9th is an important date for the Sudan but the months following are also critical. I should tell you now that it might be a bit difficult for me to email form now on but I will try to keep you posted on how I'm doing. For anything factual or political consult bbc.co.uk. I can't be sending stuff like that out.
Many thanks to all those who have been emailing and calling in the last few months. Really really appreciated. I hope you all have wonderful, restful Christmases. May God bless you all in the coming year. Let me know what your plans are, new year hopes are. Y'all feel a lot further away because I won't be spending Christmas in the UK so keep in touch.
Love Bex xxxxxxxxx
Hi everyone,
After 4 weeks, I feel like I've settled back into daily life here and I've certainly dulled to those noises, scratches and shadows that used to frustrate or scare me just a few months back.
Certainly, the main talking point in the office and in church has remained my marriage to some tall Sudanese man with a lot of cows. I have been warned/advised by several family members and friends in various creative ways as well as by Tito oddly enough that marrying someone just because they happen to have a lot of cows may not be that wise. Thankfully, one certain Bartholomew who has got to be at least 20 years older than me and who several of his family members including his mother and his sister (both called Rebecca) not to mention Nelson and Bishop Ezekiel have tried to set me up with, now has a 'ladyfriend' in Kenya (God is so wonderful!) so he and his riches are destined for another lady.
Trying to explain that I'm not really that concerned about getting married immediately like tomorrow, and that my family isn't thrilled by the thought of having 250 cows, has consistently been met with a combination of worry and hostility and has concluded in several promises of intercession to the Almighty concerning my 'problem'. To deviate slightly, Trevor mentioned at the weekend something interesting about female liberation. When the Queen visited Papua New Guinea back in the 70s when he was there, she was met by a chief who explained that since women had been given underpants it had caused a lot of problems for men there. The word 'underpants' in PNG pidgin actually means independence to us but you can see and understand how the correlation between the two words might arise in a society where women had more control over themselves and became more assertive in society. Anyway, the concept of completely independent women or women with 'underpants' here, despite the large and varied roles they played in the war, both fighting and looking after families, still doesn't sit well with Sudanese men of any generation, I've found. Times are changing here though, especially in Southern Sudan, so I'm sure it won't be all that long before women are wearing the trousers as well as 'underpants' and taking charge of their own lives.
There are some exciting travel opportunities ahead as well. I'm heading up north to visit Khartoum and El Obeid diocese in October in order to establish a link between El Obeid and the diocese of Virginia,USA
Yeah so please continue to pray for me and my work out here. Your prayers will facilitate my work and as most of us have experienced, I'm sure, prayer works so get on it. I will do the decent thing and continue to keep you updated on what's happening.
Lots of love Rebecca
Greetings from Sudan!
I hope you are all well. Thanks so much for all the prayers so far. Please keep them up as they are making a difference! In the 3 or so months I have been away I've been having a lot of fun and I’ve made good friends but my 2 most enjoyable moments are as follows:
1) Flying from Wau in Western Bahr el Ghazal, about 300 miles from Juba where my base is.
About 11 of us flew to Wau a few weeks ago for an enthronement. On our return flight, I got to sit in the co-pilot’s seat! It was so cool to actually fly into a cloud and see the huge shadows the clouds make on the earth. A lot of Sudan looks the same because it is so underdeveloped but if you look closely enough you can spot where there has been a forest fire or where part of the river has dried up or where a main road is. It was absolutely amazing; a proper Top Gun moment for me.
2) The car ride back from Rokon in Central Equatoria, with Bishop Francis and Bishop David.
Rokon as a town is a war relic in itself. We were shown the Catholic Church, which was formerly an ammunition house and the torture house that the Arabs used during the war. It's painted a baby blue colour and is quite chilling to see once you know what it used to be as it's very small and looks pretty ordinary from the outside. On the way home I innocently asked +Francis what the strange looking fruits were that I'd seen hanging from the trees. He proceeded to tell me not what they were but the caveat that women are given when around that tree. Apparently women were and probably still are not allowed to sit by that tree or on its fruit because it's supposed to make you develop multiple breasts which grow very long, a lot like the fruit on the tree. Not exactly the answer I was expecting, especially from a bishop but it had us all in hysterics
There's plenty more to write about but not the space. I’ll be back in June though so I'll be able to tell you more about my trip when I return.
God bless you all!
Love
Rebecca