Danger on Our Doorsteps

I'm safely back in Nairobi, having been evacuated from Pibor, S. Sudan this past Wednesday, February 11th after the Murle town of Lekwangole, only thirty miles from us, was attacked and captured by Nuer cattle raiders: men and women were killed, girls were kidnapped, and the property of the 2 NGO's one the ground was destroyed.

While I don't believe I was in imminent danger, most of our Murle brothers and sisters felt differently. For on Monday, March 9th, the morning planned for closing the training, Lucy and I were the only two women to be seen: all the others, even the elderly, had ran to the bush for safely. All the men we saw passing our compound had either long sticks, spears or guns. As the teachers trickled into the compound to greet us, one of them said reassuredly: "Don't worry madam; I shall protect you." He spoke as a fearless warrior to be sure, but in reality, everyone was intensely concerned whether the raiders would come to Pibor or would they seek out the cattle camps where the balance of the cattle were located?

With all of our cooks hiding in the bush, we postponed the elaborate closing we'd intended and instead, held a prayer meeting under the big tree that provided us with the shade we so needed to conduct our classes from after 11:00am to 5:15. Five teachers, Lucy and I prayed.

They had just learned the song, "My God is so big, so strong and so mighty, there is nothing my God cannot do." They'd sing it throughout the day; thus, it was no surprise that as I stood top pray, it was these words the Holy Spirit brought to my heart. As I spoke, sang them, I also acted out the words. The teachers, some armed with their sticks looked at me, smiled and began to talk/sing the words of this little song; they began to act out the words too, and as we sang together our one our child-like confession of faith in Almighty Jehovah to keep us, we all felt the atmosphere of fear that was hovering over us lifted. As we sang and concluded in prayer, we knew deeply that our God was indeed so big, so strong and so mighty, there was nothing that He could not do, including keeping each of us and our family members safe from the attacking Nuer cattle raiders.

On Tuesday morning, they all returned and we held a more subdued, but no less elated completion, where upon receiving their participation certificate, each teacher held it high above his head, while the seated others shouted their approval. When we traveled later that afternoon to the airstrip to be picked by the AIM flight that would evacuate us, many of them were there to see us off…

As ever, I can't thank you enough for continuing in prayer for us in Southern Sudan, that come what may, the peace of our Lord Jesus would reign in our hearts into all of our relationships, that His kingdom may come on earth in S. Sudan as it is in heaven, amen

In the Body of Christ, Ingrid