Our trip to Mabaan County & Remembering Principal

It’s been a very busy season this time around in Melut. We’ve had days of no power, no water, sickness, increase in workload for David, no internet, birthdays galore, househelp issues, a womens conference and adjustment to rainy season. There was also the death of our college Principal and a trip to Mabaan county. Sorry for being very behind in my blog posts!

I still remember the restlessness I had in Kenya way back in April, itching to be back at our home in South Sudan. En route, we stopped at a place in South Sudan called Kapoeta and I got to see a tribe I had never hear of before called Tiposa. It was pretty surreal seeing them at the dirt airstrip!

We were quite the sight at Kapoeta

 I’ll never forget how my heart leapt when we first sighted GTC upon our arrival, and tears of joy welled in my eyes. But there was something different on campus this time around. 

A few days before our departure, we received the shocking news that Principal Philip had died. He left behind a wife and 5 children. The death was sudden and left our team in a state of shock and confusion. There were many questions we had, many of which are still unanswered. When we arrived on campus, on a cloudy day, the grounds were eerily quiet. The children greeted us without their typical smiles and the men came to us with solemn faces. I wasn’t sure how to respond. I was overjoyed at seeing our friends again, but hurting for the loss that we all were experiencing. We found out that the ladies were all at deceased Principals house, so my female teammates and I walked over. The ladies were all huddled close together in Principals kitchen, and my friend Viola just threw herself on me, and wailed. I held on tight to her, unsure on how to respond. All I could manage were a choked up throat, as I observed everyone and attempted to offer feeble comfort. Viola held my hand and led me to the back of Principal’s house where even more of the women were sitting and mourning the loss of a friend, leader and visionary. 

The next few days were still somber and were a blur as students and staff tried to talk about next steps and the future of the college. There was a memorial service and celebration here on campus in honour of Philip. I will never forget the moment the students of the college stood up to sing his favourite hymn “Nearer my God to Thee”. They sang with much assurance, yet were wiping tears from their eyes with their handkerchiefs. The next day, I helped as the ladies washed dishes from the celebration and assisted in cleaning Philip's house. I was in awe in how much the community came together and took ownership of having the house well taken care of. 

The celebration on campus

The men

The area where the men who would visit throughout the week would sit

The following week was a trip to Mabaan county with our teammates for a second memorial service in honour of Philip. We stayed at the SIM compound in Doro and it truly was a dream come true. It was a long dusty, bumpy 4 hour drive to Doro, but I had goosebumps when we first sighted the many refugee camps that are in the Mabaan county.

Long dusty journey to Doro and back

Refugee camps

We travelled to the village of Dangaji (Philip's hometown) in the morning prior to the memorial service. When we got off the truck, we walked over to where a man was putting finishing touches to the gravesite.

Dangaji village

The gravesite

We went in to see Lydia (deceased Principals wife) who was sitting on the floor in a house surrounded by family and friends. When I hugged her, it was the first time I truly wept in the last week. As I felt her tears and cries, I felt her pain and sense of despair. I’ll never forget when all our female teammates sat down beside her, she looked straight at me and asked "Where's David?". I mumbled a response that he was here too but that he was outside.  I was taken aback by that request but another teammate of mine went to get David. He was, for a moment, the only man in that little mud hut with all of the ladies! Eventually the rest of the male teammates came in and offered their condolences.

The funeral service was about to start so we were ushered out. I was told that the service would last 3 hours. It really lasted 7 hours. Principal Philip was a loved man, who made an impact on many peoples lives.

During the memorial service in Dangaji

Women listening intently to speeches

GTC staff and students singing

Rachel did very well for the full 7 hours and then the services ended off with a feast. I got to experience my very first pig roast!

Rachel was quite content passing this opened pasta bag back and forth with a stranger during the service

Enjoying the feast after the 7 hour service. Courtesy of Bethany Fader

                The next day, after spending the night in Doro, we returned to Dangaji to visit Lydia one last time, and her countenance was much different from the previous day. She was still surrounded by women, but she had a smile and her eyes were full of joy. She asked to see the khawaja children as some of them are good friends with her son. We left the village of Dangaji at peace seeing her uplifted expressions and interactions with us.

One of my favourite memory of deceased Principal was when he and his family came over to our place for tea. We had a great conversation about his life journey. He was a huge encouragement to us that evening. I remember asking him if he wanted to try some Indian snacks. He was a tad bit skeptical but as soon as he had a bite, he asked for more. He eventually finished the entire bag (Haldirams Khatta Meetha for my Indian peeps). Now, everytime I eat Khatta Meetha, I always think of him.

This week, on July 10 is an important Board Meeting, where the discussion of a new principal of the college will take place. Please pray for that.

GTC students and staff. Courtesy of Tohru Inoue