A week ago while we were traveling in South Sudan, one of our partners told us about a recent gathering of a savings group with the local bishop. I can just picture an excited crowd forming under a big tree as they had done for us many times.
The bishop had just gathered together a group from the local village when a woman in the group started crying loudly. The bishop asked what was wrong, and the woman pointed to a man in the group. “He killed my brother,” she said.
In South Sudan there are few who have not been severely touched by the war there that has gone on for generations.
Then the woman spoke to the bishop again, “but I have learned to forgive, and I forgive him also.”
The bishop turned to the man who said, “I know how wrong I was, and I can’t expect this woman to forgive me. But I am so grateful that she does.”
When we heard this last week, we all just sat in silence. And I kept thinking, these savings groups are about so much more than money. Trauma healing lessons have become part of these groups, and that has become critical to these people’s lives.
During our travels we saw these programs growing. Thank you for helping us make an important impact.
-Dale Stanton-Hoyle,
Executive Director
P.S. Discover how you can make a difference in South Sudan through the Journey of Hope.