Nyamlell: Father Michael Barton's Sudan mission: Heading back to South Sudan

Friday, January 3, 2014

Heading back to South Sudan

December 17th, 2013 Dear friends, Today I end my long home leave and head back to South Sudan to take up work again in a new mission in a new region with a new people and a new culture and language. When I went to the South Sudan for the first time, in 1978, there were three regions: Equatoria where I worked for nine years, and Bahr el Ghazal where I labored for twenty years in two different missions. The third region was then called Upper Nile, where I never set foot in. Now those three regions have been divided into ten states in a federal system like the one here in the United States. As of now the plan is that I will go into that territory where I had never been, that is, Upper Nile to Unity State to a small town called Leer where the Comboni Missionaries run a parish dedicated to Saint Joseph the Worker and a technical school. Leer is among the Nuer, which is the second largest Ethnic group in South Sudan. At Leer I am to study the language and culture of the Nuer. I am to stay there for three months in Leer trying to learn and in order to learn I shall have to study like mad. I understand that this course will be lead by a Presbyterian Minister. After the course I am to go to work in a Catholic mission called Ayot in Jonglei State and is also among the Nuer. Jonglei is the least peaceful and the largest state of the Republic of the South Sudan. There have been many tribal and clan conflicts all over the state that is the home of many diverse tribes and each tribe with many divergent clans, very often living together with many differences, which often lead to conflicts. On top of this there is a rebel movement in the state that wants to overthrown the federal government in Juba. All of this cries out all the more for the message of the Gospel. So the future like the past could have some bumps in it and the Word of God just told us to fear not because the Lord is with us. While at home I have been able to visit many wonderful place and see many historical and touristic sites and I am so grateful to God and to my sister and brother-in-law, who have housed me this time around and included me in so much of their travel. I also traveled a lot to make mission appeals to support the Comboni Missionaries here in the USA and in the far away mission lands. I am also so grateful to you who have been so generous to me and always welcoming and friendly. Thank you so very much! As the Nativity of the Lord is so near I want to wish you a very Merry Christmas celebration and a wonderful New Year in 2014. Peace and prosperity to one and all. Sincerely grateful to you I remain your friend and prayer buddy. Yours in the joy and courage of the new born Savior and Missionary, Father Michael D. Barton, MCCJ. Comboni Missionaries-South Sudan P.O. Box 21102. Nairobi, Kenya. 00505 (mdbnyamllel@aol.com)

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Saint Teresa Parish

Comboni School

Nyamlell (Aweil West)

Northern Bahr el Ghazal State

South Sudan

The permanent school and the Activity Center that serves as the Saint Joseph Church, as well as a block of four classrooms in the Comboni School in Marial Baai in Aweil West in Northern Bahr el Ghazal, were completed and the Church is used for two classes of Comboni School there. Until further plans or possibilities present themselves, the Marial Baai Community will have to maintain two locally built classrooms. However, in 2009, six classrooms were built – two of them in the first permanent Church built in the entire state since the 1950s.

The Science Laboratory and two more classrooms were roofed and completed in Nyamlell, also in 2009

We celebrated the 75 years of foundation and of existence of the Catholic Church in Nyamlell, which is the second mission built by the Comboni Missionaries among the Dinka. It began in 1934 for the first evangelization of the Dinka Malual so there have been 75 years of the gospel and the sacraments in our state. It was a very big celebration and many thousands of people came and so much preparation went into it.

There was a drive to get donations from the local Christians especially by the youth, and to my amazement the youth and the elders responded marvelously and most of the costs was covered by the Catholics of the parish; the OLSH sisters helped so much in organizing so many details. It was a Christ-centered celebration of Saint Teresa of the Child Jesus and a strengthening of the Church for continued preaching of the gospel in this parish, state and country of the South Sudan.

Our school did very well and got first place in the whole state of Northern Bahr el Ghazal in the state-run class eight leavers certificate examination in 2009. Our best was first in the state and our worst was 99^th out of 1,568 class eight leavers. The best went on to high school and the worst became a policeman. The class eight in 2010 should be sitting soon for theirs and we shall see how they will do.

A non-governmental organization (NGO) in Juba had promised $50,000 when the Activity Center was being built in Marial Baai, but when finished they said that it looked like a church to them and in the end did not give a red cent or piaster of any kind. So all this was done by money that had been donated by people like you.

There are NGOs who have built classrooms but they will only do it for the South Sudan Government and not for the Church even though our results are far superior than those of the government. All these took great effort.

In 2009 the Christmas collection all over the parish in all its centers and chapels was dedicated to building of the first permanent Church in the entire County of Aweil North. This building will be for two purposes. It will serve as a Church and as an Activity Center. It will be called Saint William Church and Saint Julia Activity Center and is being built in Gok Macar, the county seat of Aweil North.

We started the construction as of December 2009 and it is much too early to say when we shall finish but it will be done some time in 2010. I am thinking that U.S. $80,000 will be the cost and one thousand will come from the local community in the form of Sudanese pounds of items.

Next we would like to build a smaller chapel in Ariath, another important center in Aweil North with a good population and many Catholics in both Gok Macar and Ariath.

We have another Comboni school in Makuei, also in Aweil North, which is up to class five. Not far is a large church that has only local grass structures. I would like to build a block of four classrooms that will cost close to U.S. $100,000, which will only be started when we have the money. So I am looking for that too. I hope to get something from some organization. Much cheaper will the repair and finishing of our last classrooms if we can by 2012. I shall move one step at a time.

In 2010 there will be two schools that are up to class eight. They are Nyamlell and Marial Baai, both in Aweil West. As I have said Makuei is our smallest school and has class five this year.

Sacred Heart High School had a great year and in 2010 we shall have Form One and Form Two and growing but also struggling as students coming from other schools like the government ones are very difficult to find as to fit the poorly taught and the well taught who have the basics in place.

We all need help, so that something can get done and that what is up and running stays that way.

Sincerely yours in the Lord of all,
Father Michael Barton, MCCJ.
Comboni Missionaries-Nyamlell,South Sudan.
Post Office Box 21102
Nairobi, Kenya 00505.