Sunday in South Sudan

Last night was warm with little breeze but still able to sleep.  After our typical breakfast of bread and tea, we walked to the Catholic Church for their 9 am service.  It is in English and is promoted as a “student service”.  The majority of congregants are young men – majority of students in Rumbek are young men.  Justin picked us up around 9:15 to drive us to the Anglican Service. One of our students is a bishop at that church and we have a special connection to that congregation so we try to worship there every time we come.  It is in Dinka but the priest preaching today preached in English with a Dinka interpreter.  As always in almost every setting we were asked to speak always in this order:  Kory, Steve, Ken and me.  We have grown to expect it

After lunch we rode boda bodas (motor bikes) to the market.  We walked around, saw some people we knew (students, Angelo’s brother, etc.) and then rode boda bodas back.  Ken and I shared one boda boda (driver, me, Ken sitting on the bar at the very back).  Fifty years ago when I graduated from high school and left home, I never thought I would ever be sharing a boda boda with Ken in Africa!

Just some observations about Rumbek this time compared to previous times.  The poverty is worse.  South Sudan is experiencing hyper-inflation so nearly everything is more expensive than people can afford, especially food.  Many of the local businesses have not survived (not charging enough for items to pay the inflated prices for the replacement items).  Many of the shops in the market are closed and there are NO gas stations open.  People are buying gas in liter plastic bottles at about $3 per liter.  There are far fewer cars on the road.  People are slimmer and their clothes are thinner.  We see this everywhere from our students to little children to the elderly.  Even the professional people are experiencing this.  The NGOs are also finding it hard to function with the high prices.

There are also fewer trucks on the road.  Trucks are the life-line of the non-profits (NGOs – non-government organizations), so when there are fewer of those this means there are fewer non-profits working in the area.  With the violence in July, many NGOs have pulled out.  It is more than heart-breaking.  But the joy of the people at the churches is truly amazing.  Happiness really is a choice and joy is the result of a confidence and hope that runs to the soul of who we are.  The people here have that happiness, joy and confidence.  Tomorrow we walk to school with the students and Stephanie Maker and Moses Chol arrive from Juba with the technician to install the internet at the internet “café”.