A tangible longing for peace
EAST AFRICA – During the Advent season, we have been reminded of the longing of Israel for their Messiah, the one who they thought would save them from their suffering and from their Roman oppressors.
This longing is tangible in East Africa especially among the South Sudanese refugees, as they long for an end to the suffering and their return to a country of peace. We remember that his kingdom has come to us but is not of this world (John 18:36). While we wait for his return, we long for his peace and righteousness and seek to live it out here on earth.
When we left East Africa in 2019, we did not realize it would be three-and-a-half years before returning to this region. COVID-19, war and two high school graduations all delayed our return.
After an encouraging September visiting EMC missionaries in Paraguay and Bolivia, we began to prepare to travel back to East Africa. At the beginning of October, it became clear that returning to the Gumuz area would not be possible due to ongoing political unrest. The Gumuz people we lived with remain scattered in the forested mountains. So, instead, we returned to the small city of Arua in Northern Uganda, a region that hosts South Sudanese refugees, has a large Muslim population, and is surrounded by villages where Christianity has not taken root.
Kusar and Martha (whom the Kruses have known for 20 years) come for a visit. They provide care for orphans and widows and Kusar has effectively been teaching the Word. (Photo courtesy Angela Kruse)
We have rejoined a small Pioneer team that we served with in 2019. What a joyful reunion we experienced on our arrival: Ugandan staff who welcomed us to our small, rented home, Sudanese sisters who have taught the Word and cared for widows and orphans in our absence, and weary teammates who have endured lockdowns, accidents, the murder of a Ugandan colleague, illness, theft and discouragement. Our purpose in returning to this location is to encourage, share the Word and serve those around us.
Our three daughters, who have grown from young children to teens, made the transition back to Arua seamlessly. They have been able to dive into serving missionary kids through teaching preschool, swimming lessons, and offering childcare. They have renewed old friendships and made some new ones. Ariana and Nadia have joined a small youth group led by an AIM AIR pilot and his wife, and Sonia has reunited with her kindred friend, who now lives next door.
Rolf preaches regularly at churches and events such as this, the ACROSS jubilee (50th anniversary) celebration. ACROSS is an inter-denominational Christian organization founded in 1972 by four mission societies: Africa Inland Mission (AIM), Sudan United Mission (SUM), Sudan Interior Mission (SIM), and Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF). (Photo courtesy Angela Kruse)
Rolf has opportunities to regularly share the Word with shopkeepers, preach on Sundays and teach in fellowships and villages where there is a need. I am supporting the girls’ education, offering consultation to several outreach projects, teaching the Word several times a week, and teaching swimming lessons with Ariana to ex-pat families on Fridays.
The opportunities to encourage, love and teach are endless. Our hope and prayer is that we can holistically share that Christ understands our pain, our fears, and our longings and his Word points us to the hope of his kingdom; a kingdom that gives us hope and peace even in impossible circumstances.
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).
