Media Coverage of Archbishop of Sudan's Visit

Sudanese cleric visits Goochland

Published: July 22, 2009

By Ken Odor in the Goochland Gazette

Jennifer and Daryl Ernst have been involved in helping the Sudanese people for years. Last week they hosted the Archbishop of the Episcopal Church of the Sudan, Dr. Daniel Deng Bull Yak, and his wife Deborah Abuk Atem.

The couple stayed with the Ernsts for four days as the archbishop continued his visit to the United States. There are about four million Episcopal Church members in southern Sudan, said the archbishop...

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Read the full article here.

Teachers Arrive Safely in Uganda

In addition to the Hope & Resurrection Secondary School Headmaster Anthony, our school is staffed by four additional teachers. Anthony is Sudanese and a member of the Dinka tribe, as are most of our students, but our four other teachers are all Ugandan.

Clockwise from top left: Cleous, Irene, Zakayo, and Dovico

Each teacher sacrifices greatly in order to teach our students, leaving their families back in Uganda, and must travel on a long journey by road back and forth during school breaks.

We were thrilled to receive news from our Deputy Headmaster, Cleous, that everyone has arrived safely back in Kampala, Uganda, and has left for their respective homes. We hope they have a restful and restorative break, and return to us safely.

To learn more about how our academic program at Hope & Resurrection is structured, click here.

Archbishop of Sudan Visits Hope for Humanity Supporters

It's been a busy week of meetings, luncheons, and traveling with Archbishop Daniel and his wife, Deborah. After meetings in Washington, D.C., they will be visiting with their son, who is graduating from college, and then returning home to Juba, Sudan.

We had a fantastic dinner last night with about twenty folks who are involved or interested in Hope for Humanity and the Episcopal Church in Sudan.

The Very Rev. Dr. Daniel Deng Bul Yak, Archbishop of Sudan, addressed the group at a dinner in his honor.

We discussed many potential opportunities to expand our reach in educating the youth of Southern Sudan, and addressed many of the needs in the region. Archbishop Daniel is a strong supporter of Hope & Resurrection Secondary School, and we continue to expect great things for our future!

Jennifer and Daryl Ernst with The Very Rev. Dr. Daniel Deng Bul Yak and wife Deborah.

We have some exciting plans for the immediate future that will require your help! Stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks about how you can be involved. If you have a heart for Southern Sudan, and believe in the future of her people, you will not want to miss out on this opportunity!

Buck Blanchard, Coordinator of World Mission for the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia, and Rev. Weezie Blanchard with The Very Rev. Dr. Daniel Deng Bul Yak and wife Deborah.

Archbishop of the Episcopal Church of Sudan

We're thrilled that The Very Rev. Dr. Daniel Deng Bul Yak, Archbishop of the Episcopal Church of Sudan, is visiting Richmond, Virginia this week. We'll be hosting a dinner in honor of he and his wife Deborah, and are so excited to have the chance to speak to them about the future of education in Southern Sudan.

If you'd like to learn more about the Episcopal Church of Sudan and the Archbishop, visit their official website.

We'll be posting more about our visit with Archbishop Daniel soon.

Stories from Sudan: Janie Molster

This is the third of a series of four reflections on life in Southern Sudan, from a western perspective. These reflections are written by members of St. James’s Episcopal Church in Richmond, Virginia, who returned from a mission trip to Hope & Resurrection Secondary School in May 2009.

An Interfaith Mission: Janie Molster

Before we left Richmond, a group of generous Jewish ladies raised money for us to purchase sewing machines to take to Sudan. A resourceful friend in Nairobi tracked down two antiquated, yet new, pedal-operated models, which we picked up on our way in.

We got the machines to the school, and started to assemble them. Assembly instructions were included, but for a different, model. Undaunted, dirty and soaked in perspiration, through trial and error and pure imagination, by the end of the day they got them functioning!

What started as a nice idea was now a reality. We were faced with the challenge of finding good homes for the machines. We began to quietly ask around the school and village if there were any seamstresses. We had cloth, needles, pins, but was there someone with motivation?

Janie  meets with the female students at Hope & Resurrection.

We were cautious in our search for homes for the machines, and there were no obvious placements. Any possession is rare and unusual, and I had visions of the machines ending up being scrapped for metal parts or the stands used as dining tables in one of the mud huts.

Days later on Sunday after an uplifting church service, we met with church leaders to discuss their pressing needs. With needs so vast and so valid, I began to feel powerless and deflated. My mind raced to find solutions for their problems but they were all logistically complex and very expensive... so many homeless children in need of an orphanage, students who walked hours to school wanting boarding, the list went on and on.

Then Pastor Gabriel – also a student at Hope & Resurrection Secondary School – took a turn to talk. His wife and others were studying with a tailor in the village and could we possibly help them with a sewing machine? Our entire team beamed and felt like Santa on Christmas morning. Less than a quarter of a mile away was just what was needed, and we could deliver that day. Problem solved!

Note: The second sewing machine was given to the students and staff at Hope & Resurrection Secondary School.

Faces of Success: Mary Paul

This is the second in a series of profiles from students currently enrolled at Hope & Resurrection Secondary School. In May 2009, Form One and Form Two students wrote short autobiographies, sharing information about their families, livlihood and desire for education. We hope these glimpses of life in Southern Sudan will inspire you.

I am Mary Paul, and I am 20 years old and I live in Akot. I started my studies in 1999 in Makuragar Primary School and I finished Grade 8 in that school in 2004.

I got married in 2005 and now I have a child called Joseph. He is two years old. I also have my brothers and sisters – we are seven in number – four girls and three boys.

I am a student of Hope & Resurrection. In morning hours I wake up early, then study my notes, take water for bathing, and come to school at 8:35.

On Sunday, I go to the church, then I spend the afternoon with my family. I like education very much, because education is a key of life. Even though I am married, I want to achieve an education.

 I thank those people who brought this school to our country.

July 2009 Newsletter

Click here to download our latest newsletter, including updates on:

- updates on Hope & Resurrection staff

- the new school lunch program

- volunteer news

- planning for the 2010 Walk for Sudan

To subscribe and receive the newsletter directly, just email us.

Stories from Sudan: Angie Wilcox

This is the second of a series of four reflections on life in Southern Sudan. These reflections are written by members of St. James’s Episcopal Church in Richmond, Virginia, who returned from a mission trip to Hope & Resurrection Secondary School in May 2009.

Moments of Connection: Angie Wilcox

During a mission trip, it is often those unplanned moments that are truly meaningful, and this year those were the moments that meant the most to me.

It was the spontaneous songs and games with the village children; the casual conversations with the students about their lives, hopes and dreams; sharing a birthday dinner with the Deputy Headmaster; the beauty of a blind man dancing as worship music washed over him. In all of these moments, it was clear that the Holy Spirit was present.

In a place where life is incredibly difficult and the people often feel forgotten by the world, it was an honor to be able to serve the people of Akot through our work. In a meeting with the church and village, residents shared their needs with us.

In a place where there are so many needs, it is often difficult to know where to start. But in reality, it is the small works of many people (teaching classes, bring supplies and sewing machines, raising awareness and funds, etc.) that can truly make a difference.