God is Mischievous
That our God is full of surprises wasn’t new to me, but I also learned that God is rather mischievous! Here is my story.
In January, after Sister Dominica Michalke was elected to be our General Superior, the General Council put out a letter inviting sisters to discern ministry in Old Fangak, South Sudan, or consider a three-month experience. Since I was still on sabbatical, I offered to accompany Sister Teresa Lipka for three months, making it clear that I was NOT discerning future ministry. God had other plans, but I didn’t know that yet.
Old Fangak is in the Greater Upper Nile region of South Sudan in the Jonglei State and sits on the Zaraf River, a branch of the Nile. Being remote and isolated, the town is an island in the center of a marshland, surrounded by a dike and only accessible by boat or helicopter. The area is inhabited by the Nuer people, who are semi-nomadic, cattle raising pastoralists.
My travel to Old Fangak consisted of various forms of transportation. First, I took a tuk-tuk to the airport, this is an auto rickshaw commonly used in Juba for getting around the city. Then I got on a small plane to Malakal where I then boarded a United Nations helicopter, which took me to the village of Paguer. There I was met by a catechist, appropriately named Moses, who put me on a motorboat to Old Fangak where Sister Teresa, Father Roy and the women of the town were waiting to meet me. My first impression could best be described by the saying, “I am not in Kansas anymore!”
Once a British garrison town, Old Fangak still has the remnants of a few old brick buildings. Over the last years the town has grown exponentially as people have sought refuge from civil conflict and a natural disaster. In 2020, unprecedented heavy rains flooded the White Nile, destroying crops, farms and villages. Of the 62 villages of Old Fangak, 45 were devastated by floods. The flooding has left the population vulnerable to extreme poverty, malnutrition and diseases like malaria and hepatitis E. Due to the flooding year after year, the cattle have died because there is no place to graze, and the people have not been able to plant maize and other crops.
Initially it felt like there was nothing familiar, from the language to the construction of the buildings to the oppressive heat. I have always been fascinated by other cultures than my own and so I immediately watched how they greeted one another and learned a few simple greetings in Nuer, which is the primary language used. I was grateful to receive a copy of the order of Mass in Nuer and a book so that I could follow along on a few songs. And the heat, well, it was an adjustment.
My primary purpose was to form community with Sister Teresa. I accompanied her to her arts classes in the school and the activities with the women. I learned to make rosaries with the women and pray the “Hail Mary” in Nuer. After a couple of weeks, a group of women asked if I would teach them some English. We met twice a week and had great fun as I taught them with simple songs. We laughed a lot as we found ways to understand each other! The children also captured my heart as these little “munchkins” greeted me each day when I went out for my daily walk to the end of town and back. In school, I taught the children a couple simple refrains, and I was delighted whenever I was greeted with “Sing Alleluia, Sing Alleluia, Sing Alleluia to God’s name.” There is a strong desire for education and the students attend a school that is built of corrugated tin. Each classroom is furnished with benches, long tables and a chalkboard. Grades one through four have elevated wooden floors but the other classrooms have dirt floors. Oh, the luxuries of our schools in the United States.
I was also blessed to experience the rich religious cultural expressions of the Nuer people. I arrived at the conclusion of Lent and then experienced a beautiful Triduum. My time concluded with the parish feast of the Holy Trinity and I thoroughly enjoyed an afternoon of choir competition and cultural dances.
From the beginning, I was struck by the extreme poverty and the lack of resources: food, clean water, sufficient shelter, medical attention and opportunities for employment. In Old Fangak there are no modern amenities - no electricity, no sewage system, no running water. The people live in simple one-room homes constructed of poles that are plastered with an adobe like mixture. The tall, pointed roofs are thatched with straw and large canvasses, if they can secure them. The most common food is porridge made from sorghum, a type of ancient grain. From previous ministry work in Guatemala, I was accustomed to have markets full of vegetables and fruits, but that is not the case in this remote area where the farmland is still mostly underwater. Thankfully, there are a few nongovernment organizations that work in the area, including Doctors without Borders and the Norwegian Peoples Aid. The Alaska Health Project has drilled public wells for drinking water. I am grateful to Sister Teresa and Sister Dominica, who faced the first difficult struggles of building our house and creating a home. I enjoyed the amenities of solar energy, running water, an indoor eco-toilet and internet.
Our God is a mischievous God. God only had to get me to Old Fangak and knew that I would fall in love and that my return would be a “done deal” before I even knew what was happening! I was captivated by the culture, the joy of music and dance, the celebration of faith. And I was moved by the many needs, especially in the school. God spoke to my missionary heart. There is a song in Spanish that I love which says, “Me has seducido Señor, con tu mirada. Me has hablado al corazón y me has querido. Es imposible conocerte y no amarte. Es imposible amarte y no seguirte. Me has seducido Señor.” Translation: “You have seduced me oh God with your gaze. You have spoken to my heart and love me. It is impossible to know you and not love you. It is impossible to love you and not follow you. You have seduced me oh God.” I clearly heard God’s call and so, I will return to Old Fangak in early September.
Living interculturally is a gift and a challenge that brings us to the oneness that Jesus Christ desires. I am being invited to respond to the Call of the 25th General Chapter to, “strive to be credible witnesses of universal communion through deepening our efforts to live as an intercultural faith community of one mind and one heart.” I will be forming community with Sister Teresa Lipka from Poland and Sister Nentaweh Wakger from Nigeria. We join the Comboni priests who are from three different countries. Father Roy Zuniga and I will share ministry as co-directors of the school. I pray that I will joyfully live our SSND call to “make Christ visible by our very being, by sharing our love, faith and hope.” You Are Sent, Constitution of the School Sisters of Notre Dame.