Standing strong with those who suffer

“If one is continually surviving the worst that life can bring, one eventually ceases to be controlled by fear of what life can bring; whatever it brings must be born.”

                James Baldwin, The Fire Next Time

Baldwin points to the reality that those of us who live lives of privilege in the richest nation on earth cannot begin to comprehend.  As sufferings compound in our lives, we tend to think that we are approaching a breaking point and that we cannot endure any more.  Those of us in SSLCD directly connected to the refugees in Uganda frequently felt this past year that they must be at or near a breaking point.  As each new catastrophe befell the refugees, we often thought, “Oh my goodness.  How are they going to endure this?”

We thought this first as we heard stories of horrendous violence as the war broke out in South Sudan.  In our first trip to the refugee settlements, the amount of trauma we observed was overwhelming. But that was just the beginning.  This year refugees have experienced severe hunger, re-traumatization triggered by continuing violence to families left behind in South Sudan, conflict with Ugandan neighbors, COVID-19, a typhoid outbreak, and most recently severe flooding resulting in loss of homes and possessions, accompanied by unprecedented levels of malaria infections.

Each time we heard another of these catastrophes we initially felt totally exhausted and bewildered.  It just didn’t seem possible to move through yet another event of such enormous impact. But in every case, the response from the refugees focused not on the suffering or the tragedy, but just on finding the best way to move forward.  And in every case, they developed plans and strategies that have proven successful.

As we look back on 2020, we are grateful for the material resources from all of our donors that have made so many things come to fruition. Because of our donors, SSLCD has been able to make a real, tangible impact on refugee lives.

Even more, we are thankful for the spiritual uplift we have received from our relationship with people who have “ceased to be controlled by fear”.  We have received from them a gift of hope based not just on seeing a brighter future ahead, but on faith in God who always stands strong with those who suffer the most.

We share this gift of hope with you this holy season.

Sincerely,

The SSLCD Team