GREETINGS FROM CAMERON PARK

Yes, we are home five weeks earlier than originally planned. As Paul Harvey used to say, “And now the rest of the story….”

On Sunday, October 11 there was a major incident between two neighboring clans which resulted in four deaths and additional injuries. The location of this was not far from the school, and the two clans involved were the ones from which our students came. Because of the long standing tradition of revenge, everyone in both villages stayed in their homes. Revenge is most often visited on young men of the offending clan, so many of the male students slept several nights in the forest, for fear of being ambushed in their homes in the middle of the night. In the past, an incident of this type has spread to other clans and escalated, so we closed the school for a week, and in addition all market places and five primary schools were closed up and down the road for thirty miles. You can imagine the tension and sadness.

By Wednesday of the following week eighteen students had returned to school out of 60, and that day the students requested a meeting with the headmaster and teachers. The students conducted themselves very well, taking turns speaking, and what was said is that the insecurity situation was far from over and they very much feared coming to and from school. They respectively asked for permission to stay home, but at the same time it mattered to them what we, their teachers, thought and how they would get credit for the year. One student worried out loud what the American donors would think. The decision that needed to be made was clear to us, and we closed the school for the remainder of the school year and said that report cards would be ready for pick up on November 3rd. The students were grateful for our understanding of how torn they were between wanting to come to school and being afraid to come to school. Their relief was tangible.

On November 3 we had a year-end celebration with a meal and ceremony. Community dignitaries came and about thirty students felt safe enough to attend. Indeed, it was a celebration. Closing five weeks early did not diminish the academic accomplishments of 60 students whose world views had been expanded and skills learned that will prove to be a good foundation for further learning and future responsibilities. The sense of unity between staff and students makes the April 1, 2009 school opening promise to be positive and productive.

WHAT IS NEXT FOR HOPE AND RESURRECTION SECONDARY SCHOOL IN SOUTHERN SUDAN?
We are receiving news that there has been progress made in reconciliation between the two clans. The men responsible for inciting the violence have been turned over to the police. This is key, for if justice is practiced through the law then people can abandon the need to seek justice through revenge. This is no little thing, because it represents a change in long standing attitudes and practices of a society. Until this incident occurred, I had not appreciated the friendship and cooperation between our students of different clans. It shows that there are many Sudanese ready to embrace change that will move them forward.

The school year in Southern Sudan is from April to December. The funding NGO, Hope for Humanity, is planning on a 2009 school year. Anthony, our headmaster of last year, is returning and Cleous, a teacher from Uganda, will become assistant headmaster. This year’s freshman will become sophomores and a new class of freshman will be admitted. The set back of this year’s early closing does not discourage us. Hope for Humanity needs your continued partnership of support and donations, for theirs is an important and huge undertaking.

HOME
Jim and I arrived in San Francisco on November 7th. We have spent this last month visiting our sons and Jim’s sister and catching up with friends. We have begun to put our house in order from the fire. We have spent a lot of time remembering the details of these last nine months, the frustrations and challenges, the funny things and joys. People have made our homecoming a celebration and encourage us to talk about our experiences.

We are grateful for the blessings of our life here, but we also left a hunk of our hearts in Atiaba, Southern Sudan. Books on mission emphasize the practice of being present to the people in which you serve, and that is difficult to understand until you are actually in a far away place sharing in the lives of others. The richness of the last nine months is our affection for the students and staff of Hope and Resurrection Secondary School and that we share with them the experiences of the birth of the school.

Thank you, dear readers, for your interest. We heartily recommend being missionaries and are more convinced than ever that our lives are designed to be lived in service to others near or far. There lies our satisfaction and delight.

Jim and Mary