The Revd Jenny Nelson, member of the Sudan Link Partnership, delighted in being able to meet so many guests from Sudan in August. She has written about her week, and the importance of prayer in this partnership.
As a Salisbury-Sudans Link Partnership, prayer undergirds all we do. We pray because we believe prayer changes everything. The Deanery links are evidently flourishing through prayer, but also the recent times of prayer and hospitality here have been extraordinary. It was a privilege to witness joyful relationships, and to pray with the team, the bishops and their wives as they gathered on the vehicle that would carry them to Heathrow and then home to Sudan and South Sudan. Bishop Gabriel from Nimule, Bishop Rufus from Iainya and many others pray for Links, saying it will make a significant difference. Sarah Musgrave from Marlborough shared that this time has truly been about our partnership in the gospel, that “we learned a significant amount as prayer partners, as brothers and sisters in Christ. Our lives have been changed.”
It was an extraordinary privilege to be able to meet Bishop Isaac Bangisa and his wife Nora midweek at Hilfield and later in the Queen Thorne Benefice. Along with many, I had found the headline news surrounding the Lambeth Conference deeply challenging, and after the beautiful Eucharist celebrated by Revd Lindy Cameron, Curate at Hilfield, the opportunity for individual conversation with Bishop Isaac and Nora, Linda Wilcox and Br Clark Berge during a walk at Hilfield, was helpful in seeing a different landscape. As part of the global church, we are called to care for God’s creation and our brothers and sisters across the world, as their livelihoods are devastated by climate change. Our focus was on sharing our ‘common home’, the term Pope Francis refers to in Laudato Si. Everything is related, and united as brothers and sisters, we journey on pilgrimage, woven together by the love God.
We live in relationship with people and creation, and yet we can often be seen to move away from that understanding, regarding the environment as something separate to us. Our conversation turns to water, with fresh drinking water an issue of primary importance in rural South Sudan. Water poverty affects places where large sectors of the population have no access to safe drinking water; where either through flooding or drought, agricultural production is impeded. Bishop Isaac shared parts of his development plan, and articulated were elements which we take for granted here:
Bore holes for clean water in 10 schools and churches, food programmes for 4 ECSS schools, seeds and tools for agriculture, bicycles and transport for pastors.
Development continues, and it is evident an integrated approach is needed.
For now, underpinning everything is hearing God’s call to universal communion. We are united, brothers and sisters on a pilgrimage, woven together by the love of God.
I share a letter from Bishop Isaac below, received this week. Prayer and correspondence will continue. It would be lovely to hear news from across the diocese. Thanks and prayers for all deanery links.
Revd Jenny Nelson
Assistant Curate, Three Valleys Benefice
Sudans-Link Partnership
Greetings from Juba in the precious name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Just writing to let you know that Mama Nora and I arrived Juba safely.
We are looking forward to proceed to Yambio on Wednesday.
First of all we want to say thank you so much for everything you all
did to make us feel at home in UK, especially your time to be around
us and make us feel at home in the various places we visited. It was
an inspiring time for us.
We shall continue to pray for you and everything you are doing for
God's kingdom. We pray that our good Lord will make it possible for us
to meet again.
We will appreciate your prayers and supports for our programs in the
Diocese of Ezo.
Wish you every blessing as we hope to keep in touch
Yours in Christ
+Isaac Ephraim