AFRICA
Link Letter No.36 October 2009
Trisha’s travels
Dear precious friends,
How old is a ‘youth’?
For my MA Dissertation in the third year, I am looking at
the possibility of researching how we can best disciple
the youth in our diocese here. I thought therefore that this
month we would have a look at the youth work in Maridi
Diocese, as in some areas it is very different to youth work
in the UK. I put a set of questions to our Diocesan Youth
Leader, Wilson A. Elias, and below are his answers:
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What role did Bishop Justin give you in March 2009?
The youth work in the diocese was weak, so at our
Diocesan Synod in March he appointed me as the
Diocesan Youth and Sunday School Co-ordinator.
What previous experience have you had in youth
work?
Due to the Civil War in Sudan, many of us were in exile in
Zaire (which is now the Democratic Republic of Congo).
Patricia Wick
CMS Mission Partner
(Sudan)
While there, I was the Youth Secretary from 1992-97.
What previous training in youth work have you had?
While in Congo, I was a participant in seminars on youth
activities in the church, how to lead Sunday services, how
to teach and disciple the youth and the role of the youth in
the church.
Do you get a salary for your work as diocesan youth
leader?
No, the work is voluntary.
Who is assisting you in the work?
The Diocesan Bishop is advising me and we have an
Executive Youth Board Committee, which includes my
Deputy Peter, the Secretary Kenneth, the Treasurer Jenety,
the Information Officer Emmanuel, the Diocesan Chairlady
Joyce and the Sunday School Leader Grace.
What ages are the youth and Sunday school?
The youth are aged 12-40 plus! Let me explain. There are
older people who still have a heart and great interest for
the youth, which is great as they can still be part of the
youth and are still called youth! We now have two Sunday
school groups as we recognized that the older ones have
PO Box 845, Arua, Uganda
Tel: 0024 991 725 8143 (mobile)
Tel: 00882 1651 072 178
(satellite phone)
patricia@rcs-communication.
com

Maridi Sunday School children
different needs from the very young ones. The younger group
are aged 4-10 and the older group are aged 11-16 approximately.
For the Sunday school members to go on and become youth,
they must first have training in the foundations of worship and on
leadership.
How big is the work in the diocese?
It is huge, as over half of the Christians in our Sunday congregations
are under the age of about 30. We have eight Archdeaconries,
58 parishes plus Sub Parishes and Chapels. All these have youth
groups, many with more than 100 members.
Are the youth leaving the church or joining it?
Both. Some have left due to lack of money to help themselves,
and have gone looking for work. Some just lose interest. But
many new youths are joining the church too and the activities and
entertainment attracts many.
What are the weekly activities of the youth?
Once a week we help to clean the church compound; on
Wednesdays we have teaching; on Saturdays we practice songs
that we will sing as youth choirs on Sundays; and we also visit
hospitals and prisons etc.
What is the role of the youth in church on Sundays?
We help to organise things and welcome people; we sing in our
youth choirs; we sometimes lead services and occasionally we do
a drama.
What are the facilities that you have?
We have a youth centre, which just has a couple of buildings
and which we need to develop further; we have an office in the
Diocesan Centre; we have an empty shop, which we want to
refurbish; we have a large garden in which to grow crops
and we also have some very old instruments, a generator,
keyboard, microphone and speakers.
What are the main issues facing the youth in Maridi
Diocese?
We have no income generating projects; we lack good
musical instruments; we don’t have a computer; we don’t
have funds for training and we need HIV/AIDS awareness;
we don’t have fees for further education; we don’t have
friends outside who can help us; our Youth Centre is badly
equipped and we have no means of transport.
What plans have you to develop the work?
There are three main areas I wish to develop:
Training in knowledge and skills – teaching on HIV/AIDS,
healthcare, leadership, computers; developing skills in
carpentry, building, blacksmith work, tailoring and agriculture.
Our youth centre – providing accommodation for
sleeping, building a meeting room and a store, getting
satellite television, buying general equipment, and getting a
telephone and e-mail for better communication.
Youth centres in each of the Archdeaconries.
What can the youth do to help themselves?
To generate income, we can lay bricks, cultivate, dig
sand, open a restaurant, open a shop, open a hair salon,
embroider bedsheets, etc; bring food contributions when
we have a training session; keep the area around our youth
Training leaders for the Discipleship course
 another to know more, to be friends and work together to
develop the world, to move freely, be committed to God’s
work and to pray for one another; also to support me in
my work so that we can move ahead here.

Training leaders for the Discipleship course
centre clean and slash the grass.
From where do you get funding?
This is the hardest area of my work. I need to find outside donors
– both individuals and friends. I am busy writing project proposals,
but don’t know to whom I can send them. In the meantime, we
do what we can but are struggling to provide for ourselves.
May God touch people’s hearts to pray for the youth work
in Sudan.
Youth work from Trisha’s perspective…
Regular open planning meetings are held when the youth
discuss how to develop the work and new initiatives to
take. There is a real feeling of “we are doing this together”.
However, I have also seen great discouragement, as there
is such a lack of resources to put these ideas into practice.

What resources do you personally need which will help you
to do your work better?
Books; training as a youth leader; transport (motorbike); a
computer with a generator, and stationery and office equipment.
What resources do the youth as a whole need?
A well equipped youth centre; a library; facilities for showing DVD
and musical instruments.
The youth are a powerful force in the diocese and
discipling and training them is very important as there is
so much potential and leaders for both the present and
future are emerging. To see our churches full of young
people on Sundays continues to thrill my heart. I hope that
one day another person will be appointed to look after the
children – i.e. Sunday School – leaving the youth worker
to be able to concentrate just on the youth, as the work is

Do you have a link with any youth workers overseas? huge at present.

I would love to develop some links! It would be good to have

Other news
contacts with those with whom we can share ideas, prayer
The retired Archbishop and former Bishop of Maridi
requests etc. I would also like to see what resources for youth
Diocese, Dr Joseph Marona, died in Khartoum on
work are available elsewhere.

What is your dream for the future?

To equip and empower the youth in leadership, music, healthcare
and hygiene, agriculture and carpentry skills; to double the number
of youth; to see the youth living good Christian lives, growing
in their faith through discipleship training, active in evangelism
and with some becoming pastors; to increase the numbers of
conferences, seminars and workshops; and to have an active and
effective leadership team assisting me.

Is there anything else that you would like to say?

I want to appeal to people of all ages around the world to help one TEE Graduation
September 18. His health had not been good for a long time
and he had gone to Khartoum for medical treatment. His wife
Mama Eunice had stayed in Maridi. He was buried in Juba, the
capital of Southern Sudan. He welcomed me to Maridi and
was alongside me in my early years here. He had a great love
for my parents, whom he had met on several occasions.
I am really enjoying doing less travel at the moment. This is
partly due to my studies but also as there is no funding for
the TEE I cannot visit other dioceses. The Province is unable
to give us any funding or replace my Assistant Manager who
died in July. Between now and Christmas I hope to visit all the
Archdeaconries in the diocese to monitor the first part of our
Discipleship Training Programme called ‘Following Jesus’.
Pray concerning the challenge that every department in
the diocese is facing as to how to obtain sufficient funding.
Pray for Bishop Justin in his leadership of the diocese.
Pray for the future of the TEE programme now there is
no funding.
Pray for us as we are now translating into Arabic, Part 2
of the Following Jesus Course.
Pray for the health of my parents.
Pray for elections in Sudan due in April 2010.
Pray for CMS Africa and CMS Britain.
Pray for my MA studies.
Pray for the development of veterinary services in Maridi.

I am delighted that CMS has agreed to fund the Discipleship
Training Programme for 2009/10. My MA studies are on target
and at present I am studying how we should be doing mission
in the 21st century now that we are living in a global world.
Maridi Diocese is facing a couple of major issues at present
and Bishop Justin needs our prayers for wisdom as to how to
face these challenges.
Thank God for the many answers to prayers and for the
way He has been touching the hearts of individuals to
respond to specific needs.
May God bless you all as you continue to serve Him. You
are special to me and I really appreciate your support.

Security around Maridi has been good for the past six months
Trisha
but many internally displaced people still fear returning to their
homes near the Congo border in case the Lord’s Resistance
Army should return. At present they are about 100 miles from
here.

From the latest batch of kittens I have decided to keep the

runt of the litter – a tiny ginger one who I have called Pickles.

I hope to spend Christmas in Maridi but we will face the

usual delay of cards and presents arriving due to the backlog
in Uganda. How we need post offices here! My health is
excellent with much improvement in my back and neck,
probably due to less travel. There have been many God-
incidences when God has intervened in situations we face.

Prayer requests
Much of Southern Sudan is facing the prospect of famine. TEE Graduation
However, Maridi has had good rain this year and we hope for
a good harvest.

Pray for the youth work in Maridi Diocese.

Church Mission Society

Watlington Road, Oxford, OX4 6BZ Tel: 01865 787400 Fax: 01865 776375
Email: info@cms-uk.org www.cms-uk.org Registered Charity Number 220297
General Secretary: The Rev Canon Tim Dakin