The South Sudanese heat wraps me up in a warm humid blanket as I stumble through high, lush green grasses. I focus intently on protecting my dusty feet from the unlikely bite of a black mamba, an African snake I unwisely researched before my trip. The unchecked growth of bushes and grass threatens to obscure the pathway altogether, and when I begin to wonder how these pathways have any rhyme or reason, we are suddenly on the threshold of a villager’s home in the middle of this seemingly chaotic wilderness.

At this point, we’ve been walking for two hours through the villages surrounding an orphanage compound in Terekeka, South Sudan, talking to villagers, sharing quick stories from the Bible, and praying for God’s healing among the sick. The trip to the village is interesting and eye-opening, but I am more than ready to return to the compound. The water in my water bottle is hot enough to steep tea and I’m trying to ignore the sensation of damp clothes clinging to my skin. We round the corner on the small dirt path and the cement and tin-roofed buildings of the orphanage appear in the distance. Hope for rest, water, nourishment, and shade give my tired, blistered feet renewed energy; that safe haven is still there, offering respite from a long walk.

This is a quick snapshot of my time with the City Church team this summer. I invite you to come hear more stories at our Unpacking South Sudan event this Sunday.

With a tumultuous history that created a chaotic wilderness of conflict and loss, South Sudan has also been looking for rest, nourishment, and peace. South Sudan is a new nation in need of hope.

Lily and Dennis Klepp, the founders of Harvesters Reaching The Nations, began their work in 2001. Living amidst the conflict, they built, brick by brick, a safe haven for the growing number of children orphaned by Sudan’s period of turmoil. The Klepps are harvesters of hope; they’ve found hope rooted in the particular resilience of children, the persistence of potential to raise up a generation of young South Sudanese leaders with hearts and minds dedicated to bringing the peace of Christ to their country. The orphanage grew and caught the attention of the Sudanese government, which then granted them more land to expand their reach in the area.

For the past 5 years, City Church sent teams to support the two orphanages built and run by Harvesters. In the beginning, these trips focused on bringing medical relief, but as City Church continued to invest with Harvesters, the teams included people with a diversity of gifts--even myself, an idealistic college student with a violin.

Being in a country as poverty-stricken as South Sudan can leave anyone with a deep sense of hopelessness; I found myself thirsting for hope alongside the South Sudanese, instead of being the instrument of hope I had imagined myself to be. I realized, however, that God is present and working through us to bring relief to a country plagued by loss, a beautiful city full of brokenness, or the wounded souls of our neighbors. I am humbled to be part of God’s grander story of restoration happening in South Sudan and the world.

Unpacking South Sudan: more info

This Sunday, August 26 | 7-9 PM | Sutter St | Auditorium