Sudan 2 NEW WORLD OUTLOOK • MAY/JUNE 2009
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Sudan 2 NEW WORLD OUTLOOK • MAY/JUNE 2009 New Series Vol. LXIX , No .5; Whole Series Vol. IC, No. 3 New World Outlook NEW WORLD OUTLOOK MAY/JUNE 2009 ISSN-0043-8812 Published bimonthly by the General Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church . Periodicals postage paid at New York. NY, and add1t1onal mailing offices. Copyright © 2009 by the General Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church . No part of New World Outlook may be reproduced in any form without written perm1ss1on from the Editor. Printed 1n the U.S.A. POSTMASTER: Send address changes directly to New World Outlook. P.O . Box 395, Congers, New York 10920-0395. Subscriptions 1n the United States and Possessions: One year $19.95. Single copies $5.00. Two years, $34.95. All foreign countries: one year, $31 .95. Church Subscription Program : 5 or more one-year subscriptions for $15 each. Editor-Christie R. House Art Director-Hal Sadler Designers-Sean Grandits. Nanako Inoue Production Manager-Brenda L. Carr Editorial Assistant-Patricia Y. Bradley Editorial Office Christie R. House 475 R1vers1de Drive, Room 1476 New York. NY 10115 212-870-3765 Email: [email protected] Website: http://gbgm-umc.org/nwo/ Advertising/Promotion 475 Riverside Drive, Room 1476 New York, NY 10115 212-870-3765 New World Outlook editorials and unsigned articles reflect the views of the editors and signed articles the views of authors only. Unsolicited manuscripts will be acknowledged only 1f used. Otherwise. the editors cannot be responsible for returning them. To order additional copies or purchase single issues of New World Outlook. contact Cokesbury by phone 1-800-672-1789, email customer-service@umpublishing .org, or online at http://www.cokesbury.com and click on Global Ministries at the top left-hand corner. Direct all subscription inquiries and change of address to: New World Outlook. P.O. Box 395, Congers. New York 10920-0395 . Send old address label if possible. Allow at least 30 days' notice. Or call 1-877-881-2385 (toll-free). Email : NewWorld [email protected] Cover Photo: Paul Jeffrey. Jennifer Kej1~ a United Methodist, starts her day by cooking early in the morning in the Southern Sudan village of Kupera. Families here returned from refuge in Uganda in 2006 after the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agree ment between the north and south brought a mea sure of peace to the region. NEW WORLD OUTLOOK • MAY/JUN E 2009 3 Vol.le 1 1/JUNC m1ss1on STUO~: SUOAn - - --------- 6 SUDAN : CONSUMED IN CONFLICT by Chris Herlinger 10 A SHORT TIMELINE FOR SUDAN New World Outlook Special Feature 12 AN AMERICAN -AFRICAN PARTNERSHIP IN SOUTHERN SUDAN by Danny Howe and Anne Travis 16 THE HOLSTON CONFERENCE 'S FIRST FACT-FINDING MISSION TO YEI IN SOUTHERN SUDAN by Caroline Njuki 18 A NEW CHURCH FOR A NEW SUDAN: UNITED METHODISTS FOSTER HOPE AS SOUTHERN SUDAN CLINGS TO PRECARIOUS PEACE story and photos by Paul Jeffrey 24 MAP: SUDAN New World Outlook Special Feature 26 AJOURNEY 'S REFLECTION by Michelle Scott • photos by Paul Jeffrey 30 ATOWN IN DARFUR , SUDAN , DUBBED "OHIO VILLAGE " by Karen Smith 34 STARTING OVER IN MICHIGAN : SUDANESE FAMILIES RESETTLE lNTHE UNITED STATES by Linda Burson • photos by Brad Smith 38 CLEAN WATER , GOOD SCHOOLS: UMCOR 'S GIFT TO SOUTH SUDAN tory and photos by David Malloy OEPARTmEnTS 4 The Hope of Sudan by Christie R. House 5 Letters from Readers 42 Mission Memo 43 Bulletin Inserts on Mission Bulletin inserts can be clipped out of the magazine, copied back-to-back, folded, and slipped into the Sunday bulletin. Students outside their classroom in the Southern Sudanese village of Kenyi. The school was constructed by UMCOR and serves children and youth of families rebuilding their lives after returning from Uganda, where they had lived as refugees. l ~Global Ministries ~ l ®~he United Methodist Church 4 NEW WORLD OUTLOO MAY/JUNE 2009 THE HOPE OF SUDAN his May-June edition of New World Outlook is our annual mission-study issue, a companion piece to th e geographic topic studied at the Schools Tof Christian Mission. This year the new study is on the country of Sudan . It is a difficult study. The first article in this issue begins with conflict; the timeline depicts a cou ntry riddled by a series of violent invasions, coups, and civil outbreaks. United Methodist mission outreach in the country con centrates on providing the most basic of needs: food, water, shelter, and schools . The stories are about shifting populations-people leaving all behind January-February issue, 2009 and running for their lives, only to settle and repeat the process all over again . Small Churches: Big Mission Southern Sudanese describe their experience of returning to their communi ties after years of flight; finding nothing left, they strive to rebuild. Yet, in the s a new subscriber. I am excited res about curling up with each issue midst of their rebuilding, violence breaks out again . A nuaq to learn more about Christian mission k. I v As our staff was preparing this issue for publication, we received news around the world. I read in the January ain a that visiting members of the mission-travel study team were holed up in their February issue with mock horror your our c suggestion to abandon the printed word hotel in Yei, Sudan . Shooting started in the city and moved into their location, mber in favor of online news. ther apparently military unrest over veterans' benefits. The entire team made it Please don't consider that. The print ry, w out safely to Uganda and returned to the United States unharmed-but their ed word is one of the last vestiges left to ded . lives have changed. those of us who grew up as Christians Some in a previous era . Please pamper us who ewhe Paul Jeffrey returned from Southern Sudan a few weeks before the mis still look forward to each printed issue in also sion-travel study team arri ved. He brought back hundreds of photos that de lieu of groping on an ill-suited computer auto picted the state of affairs: sparse surroundings; few material goods; weary screen for such news. k ati" faces of mothers and fathers striving to keep their children safe; backbreak The Rev. Conway Keib/er J gthe in g labors of water fetching, planting, harvesting, and building with little or no Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania • Pleas mechanized equipment. But as I reviewed the photos for this issue, another us. story emerged: a picture of strong and resilient Sudanese children . read in your January-February 2009 INew World Outlook that you are The photo on the contents page is one such picture. Youth-not con considering going online with the scripted as soldiers, but students-attending school. Events outside Sudan, publication. particularly the US presidential election, have not escaped their attention. I realize this will result in cost sav- ave I Jeffrey has a knack for finding these kinds of photo opportunities-partly, I ings not only for paper but also for post- - ut/01 age . However. I, like many other of your vou think, because he takes the time to ask them: "Hey, what do you guys do for readers. do not have a computer, and ch t fun around here?" and partly because he looks for a tough and resilient God at my advanced age, I do not intend to ev1ou at work in all people and in all kinds of situations. These children are Sudan's purchase one. It is an imposition to ask nt fa hope for a better future. They have survived horror and deprivation-more friends to copy the magazine. Therefore, than most of us will ever see in our lifetimes-and they have survived. More I hope some print copies will be avail- than that, they still play, dream, laugh, and beguile. able, even at an increase in price. tloo, New World Outlook is an excellent For more of Paul 's photos of Sudanese children, visit our website http:// publication, and the editors are to be nsrs gbgm-umc.org/nwo and click on the special feature "The Hope of Sudan." commended for their fine work. Charlotte Rodwell Christie R. House Beaver, Pennsylvania NEW WORLD OUTLOOK MAY/JUNE 2009 5 Letters March-April 2009 Global Praise am responding to your editorial in the n my article, " Global Prai se: Declaring God's Glory From the Four Corners of IJanuary-February 2009 New World Out Ithe Earth " (March/April 2009 issue of New World Outlook), I failed to mention look. I would like to see the magazine the pivotal contribution of the Global Praise Working Group in the creation of remain a printed item. We get one copy the Global Praise Program. The original members of this group are : at our church and share it with other Raquel Gutierrez-Ach6n (Cuba/USA). Mellonee Burnim (USA). Melva W. Costen members. Most of us are not emailers. (USA) . Tom S. Colvin (Great Britain, passed away in 2000). Ludmila Garbuzova (Russia) . We then file the copy in the church li William I. Ha irston (USA) , Hartmut Handt (Germany). Per Harling (Sweden), Marilyn M . brary, where it can be referenced when Hofstra (Choctaw, USA), Ho Loh (Taiwan). Ivor H. Jones (Great Britain), ST Kimbrough, needed. Jr. (USA). Patrick Matsikenyiri (Zimbabwe). Simei Monteiro (Brazil). George Mulrain (Trini Sometimes we go back and read an ar dad and Tobago). Joyce Sohl (USA). Pablo Sosa (Argentina). Rena Yocom (USA). and ticle when a topic comes up for discussion. Carlton R. Young (USA) . We also may leave an interesting issue lay For more information on the Global Praise Working Group and a list of current mem ing out on the table, where people pick it up, bers, please visit www.globalpraise.org .