My Christmas in South Sudan this year was a bit different than any of the others I have experienced. Instead of shopping in the mall, making Christmas cookies, playing in the snow, or visiting with family, I spent the days before Christmas preparing our program and decorating the church. We had Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, and afterwards a small celebration with our community. In the morning I woke up early to set-up the sound system in the church, and later on attended the 11:00am English Mass that did not start until 12:30pm. Since Mass ended around 2:30pm, I was secretly hoping that Fr. David would not remember my promise to go with him for Mass in Mafao in the afternoon, so I could take a much needed nap instead. However, just about as soon as I finished my last bite from lunch, he walked in the door and asked if I was ready to go. With a smile I let out an exhausted “Yes” and hopped into the Land Cruiser.

Once we arrived, I rang the bell and waited for the people to come to our Hanging Church (tree). After a few minutes, we started the Mass with five people (three of them young kids) in the congregation. At first I was annoyed that we traveled all the way for such a small crowd, but I quickly realized this was what Christmas is all about. Despite being exhausted, I was filled with the Christmas joy sharing the birth of Christ with a few more people. In the evening we had a nice Christmas dinner with all the Fathers, Sisters, Brothers, and other community members. After dinner, I Skyped with my family, and was able to share in a bit of the Christmas celebration with them. On the 27th when Luke’s father arrived, I received a beautiful package from my family, including letters from all my siblings, a few small gifts, and even fake snow from my Advent Pal Audrey. All in all it was a unique, yet wonderful Christmas.

Though it was difficult to be away from my family during this special time of year, it was the first Christmas where I really focused on the birth of Christ. Maybe it was the heat, lack of Christmas Music, or absence of family, but it never really “felt” like Christmas here. But it all changed with that intimate Christmas moment with in Mafao. Around the States I would always see signs that said “Jesus is the Reason for the Season” and “Keep Christ in Christmas,” but they are just slogans that virtually no one take to heart. However, this Christmas is certainly one that I will never forget, not because of all the gifts I received, but rather the true presence of the One Gift we all received.

PS- My Aunt Kelly suggested that I do a mailbag for my next blog post, and answer any questions you (the readers) might have. I think it’s a great idea and will give it a shot, so if you have a question you would like me to answer, comment on this post, Facebook, or email me and I’ll do my best to provide an answer.

Happy New Year and God Bless!

Over the last week, I was busily involved in three big projects – the celebration and procession for the Immaculate Conception of Mary, Christmas carols around the villages of our parish, and a Salesian Summer Camp for the local children. Though it has been by far the most demanding and tiring week, each night I went to bed feeling proud and fulfilled.

Last Saturday was the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, and for it we planned a beautiful procession of Mary after Mass in the evening. Though the turnout for Mass was low, many people joined the procession as we moved through the village, and by the final blessing the number grew to a few hundred people. In a culture that does not hold women in high regard, it was a great ceremony to show love to Our Mother.

Two weeks ago we began traveling to our satellite parishes to sing carols and spreading the Christmas message. It is certainly a different Christmastime here than the ones I experienced in the US over the years. People here do not even know who or what Santa is, and most people do not speak English so they had no idea what we were even singing about. However, all the villages welcomed us and walked around with us as we sang, because they were there to welcome the Baby Jesus we carried. I got to dress up as Santa for a few days and give the kids sweets. While some of the children had fun dancing and playing, others were scared of the crazy foreign man. Unfortunately, there was no snow on the ground, but instead temperatures reaching triple digits.

The first Salesian Summer Camp began in Gumbo on Monday. Fr. David thought it was necessary to keep the children of the parish occupied, educated, and active during the summer. We had 80 kids registered the first day, but after word of the camp spread, the camp grew to nearly 300 on Wednesday. It shows how important the camp is to the children. I had such a fun week teaching the youngest group (6-8) basic English such as numbers, letters, body parts, and colors. Throughout the week, children would come up to me and sing “Yes Lord,” a song that I taught them this week. Last night, a couple kids enthusiastically asked (in Arabic) if they had school on Monday. It was one of my happiest moments not only because they were excited to learn, but also I was able to understand and respond in Arabic that we would in fact be learning and singing songs on Monday. It’s the little victories! I cannot wait for what this next busy week will have in store.

I have posted many snaps from these events in the “Pictures” section of the site. Enjoy!

Ps If you have any interest in supporting my mission here, we are looking for donations for the camp. God Bless.

Last week Fr. Ferrington, the Delegate Superior of the Salesians of Sudan and South Sudan, asked me to attend an Introductory Course of South Sudan. Since he received word about the seminar last minute, I represented the SDBs and will be presenting the material to the Salesian communities of South Sudan in the future (I will also try to share the information on this site when I put everything together). The topics of the seminar were all very interesting, and included history, media, ethnic groups, the church, the government, and women. It was a fantastic opportunity to learn more about the country and people that I am serving, and it opened my eyes to many challenges and opportunities.

Even though the speakers gave great stories and information, the best talk was the impromptu anecdote of Br. Valentino, a 90-year-old Comboni Missionary. He first arrived in Sudan/South Sudan in 1949 when the country was still controlled by British colonists, and lived through two civil wars over his 63 years here. As you can imagine, he has quite a remarkable story. With many laughs intermingled with some amazing experiences, his words were great advice to me, a 22-year-old kid who has been in South Sudan for three months. Much of what he said was great guidance for life in general, so missionary or not, I leave you with a few lines of his that impacted me and might have the same impact on you.

“God, bless me to understand how to deal with the people.”

“It's all about the people.”

“Be brothers… we are all the same.”

“Pay wages honestly and respect the workers. Give them their dues before the sweat becomes dry.”

“There is no second class.”

“Be happy with the people and love them.”