Justin is reporting from southern Sudan, where he is teaching theology to the chaplains of the Sudanese Peoples Liberation Army. The SPLA defends the southern Sudanese from terrorist attacks that are supported by the government of Sudan in the north

It is 9pm on Monday night and we just got done eating dinner. I’m having a blast; being here for a fourth time is a treat. I’m very comfortable with everything and my friends from the camp are all here.  I really enjoy the people here in the camp and around the village.  Being here is inspiring and heartbreaking...usually at the same time.

        Last week, a group of my students from the two previous chaplaincy core classes stopped by the compound and I listened to their stories for an hour.  A word they said over and over again was “reconciliation.”  They told stories about how they served the case of reconciliation between so many conflicts: between tribes, between various civilians, between soldiers, between civilians and soldiers, between.... UGH!...the need for reconciliation is so great here. 

But even more than reconciliation, they talked about comforting those in fear.  And there are plenty of reasons to fear.  The government of Sudan is “officially” working on the peace agreement but behind the scenes they are still funding the terrorist group (the Lord’s Resistance Army) in northern Uganda and southern Sudan. The LRA is alive and active here.  A few weeks ago they killed one of the guards here at the compound. They attacked the village 10 miles south of us last week and killed someone there.  It is weird how short a time it takes to get used to gunfire. I hear at least one shot a night.  So, my former students are dealing with these people who are suffering or living in fear of suffering at the hands of terrorists. Here the terrorists are government funded-- the government of Sudan also funded the janjaweed in Darfur that has received some media attention.

Uganda My friends here are starting another camp in northern Uganda to help out some of the women and children (who seem to be the primary targets of the LRA).  The LRA patrol northernand southern Sudan. There are very few villages in northern Uganda that are constantly attacked.  So, the children leave their villages every night and walk about 10 miles to a small city-village called Kitgum so they can sleep in relative safety.  About 3000 children and many women show up each night and consequently there is not much room for everyone.  Thus, my friends are building a huge camp to house and feed these people, and to give them the assurance that they can sleep and not be abducted, raped, beaten, or tortured. When the head guy here told me about it he quoted James 1:27.  “Pure religion is to watch after the widows and orphans.” Now I can’t get it out of my head.

        This LRA group is still butchering people, but they have added a new form of torment. They started attacking groups of woman, usually at the water well.  They have beaten a few babies to death with sticks right before they mutilate the women and let them go.  They started cutting off their ears and lips and breasts. I have seen a few pictures of women with their entire head bandaged up.

        This is “everyday reality” for people here. This is the world in which my students
are ministering and working.  This is the world that needs some reconciliation and loads of comfort.

© 2005, Justin S. Holcomb.