Rabuuna Fi

I have found one of the hardest parts about being in the mission field in rural Africa is that you are always surrounded by horribly depressing news. It's constant. There are always people suffering around you. You constantly hear about things like the death of children (usually due to curable diseases which aren't treated in time because of bad medical care or a lack of medicine because the family could not afford it), lack of everyday necessities like food, and water; and political unrest which causes fear and distress in the people.

Here are a few things I feel weighed down by this week.

The aftermath of an attack in Malakal, South Sudan.
Photo Source: NY Times

The political state of South Sudan. This week, South Sudan has gotten a lot more publicity in western media than usual. Unfortunately, the publicity was for horribly disturbing reasons. The UN accused the South Sudanese government of "using rape as currency" for their soldiers. This isn't new news, but it is getting more publicity right now. The government told soldiers that they do not have enough money to pay them sufficiently, so as compensation for their work, they can take whatever they want from the places they overtake, including raping the women and children if they desire. I can hardly type those words without wanting to throw my computer across the room. The reality of this is so extremely evil to me that I can't even fully take it in. To read an article from PBS that explains this a little more, click here. For a more detailed account of this (with very disturbing statistics and stories) read the NY Times article here. There was another article put out this week from Time that I am not even going to link here because it was so disturbing and graphic that I couldn't even get through the whole thing. However, I believe it is so important for those in the western world to expose themselves to what it really happening in the world. Parents are having to watch their children be raped- for no reason at all! They didn't do a thing other than be on the "wrong" side of a political crisis due to their ethnicity. It's so alarmingly disgusting that it has to bring us to our knees in prayer.

The ad that was put on social media
to try to find Joseph

Bishop Bismark's missing son. As I've mentioned before, our closest ministry partner in Mundri is Bishop Bismark. He is our "go to" resource in knowing what is really happening in South Sudan. He has had an incredibly challenging year as he has tried to inform us from afar, care for his family (who he re-located for Kampala, Uganda for safety) and care for the many Moru people he is connected to in Mundri and the areas they have evacuated to. He has been extremely busy and under a lot of stress. Two weeks ago, he got news that his son, Joseph, was missing. Joseph is in his early 20's and told his mom he was going out to a cafe in the evening to use the Internet for school. He didn't return that night and they have not be able to find him since. Seriously, this is the stuff from nightmares. Bishop and Rina have been searching Kampala in all the ways they know how. They have looked at morgues, prisons and many other places. They put out an expensive ad in the newspaper and have spread the news on social media, but still have not gotten any closer to finding Joseph.

Stories from war: We had a Moru visitor this week and she was sharing with us about her experience during the last war in South Sudan. She explained that during the last war, she and her family evacuated by foot to Congo. At one point, they didn't have any food or resources and decided to go to Uganda to see if life would be better there. They walked for 3 days straight with no food or water. During this journey, she was 5 months pregnant, had a baby on her back and was carrying everyrthing else she owned in her hands and on her head. It sounded like she did not have any shoes and was wearing scraps from a parachute because she didn't have any other clothes. This story was from the 1990's, but it made me wonder how many similar stories are happening just like this in South Sudan and other countries right now. Stories like this are common during war times in Africa and South Sudan seems to be just as unstable (if not more) than it was back then.

I tell all of these stories that are weighing on my heart this week to simply give you facts of what is happening here. However, if you were to hear these stories from anyone in South Sudan, they would most likely end the horrible details they share with you with the phrase, "RABUUNA FI". Rabuuna fi means, "The Lord is here". You will not hear a story without them ending it on this phrase of truth. This has been so challenging for me because I often don't know how God could possibly be present in the midst of such horrific tragedy. However,  over and over again in Scripture, God reminds He people that He is THERE He is PRESENT. Why do we as Christians need so many reminders of this? Probably because this world has so much evil in it, we often lose sight of how a God good can be present in the midst of it. But He is. He is there.

Joshua 1:9 says, "Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." This is not only if you go to "safe places", NO! God is everywhere.

Psalm 46:1-3 say, "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging." Despite circumstances, God is ever there.

At our pre-field training, one of the instructors used to say the line, "What does God do when the missionaries leave?" He would say this facetiously, but his point was that God doesn't need us in order to be present in a place. He is there already. He choses to use us at times, but even without us, His Spirit is moving and living in ALL places.

So, when I think about the atrocities happening in South Sudan, the pain that South Sudanese are dealing with as they try to survive in the midst of war crimes, rape, etc. When I think of Bishop Bismark and his wife, Rina as they are dealing with the heartache of a missing son and the terrors of what could have happened to him, all I can say right now is, "Rabunna fi". God is here. And just as he is here, he is there in South Sudan and he is present in the situation with Joseph. No, this doesn't mean the issues are solved and everything will be right in the world again with this reality. But what it does mean is that He knows, and He is present. Our job when we pray is not to ask God to be there in these places, He already is. Our job is to ask His Spirit to move and change hearts, to find missing children and protect those who are in harms way. His presence is a given, the question lies more with our belief of what His presence means and what He can do.

Please join me in praying that God's presence would change hearts of the leadership in South Sudan. Pray for leaders who desire to serve the Lord and see God "make all things right". Please also pray that God's presence would be with the people of South Sudan. That He would protect the innocent and provide for the needs of the suffering. Pray that because "Rabuuna fi", it would bring comfort to Bishop and Rina as they search for their missing son. Pray that God would bring Joseph back to his parents safely and alive. Pray that God would protect Joseph in the meantime and be enough for him.