TONGA YESTERDAY AND TODAY

 by Fuh Damien Afuti, MHM

When Lillian C. Harris[1] visited Malakal in 1995, she found it difficult to succinctly describe the painful, conflicting and confusing feelings that she felt from what she witnessed herself. So she wrote: “But while drawn to them (the people of Malakal), I also longed to be away from them and can only understand this as a response to the intensity of their suffering which chanted its mantra in my heart: ‘Lord have mercy.’” The naturally harsh environment combined with the humanly imposed disasters of decades of war and exploitation has made the naturally rich South Sudan and its people even more impoverished. Her words capture with similar sentiments what my experience has been so far in Tonga.

The environmental challenges remain the same. It is said that in Sudan, nothing is ever in the right amount. It is always TOO MUCH: the sunshine and the rain; the mud and the dust; the heat and the wind; the snakes and the fish; the poverty and high prices, etc. They oscillate constantly from one extreme to the other.

Tonga is a mission that celebrated the centenary of its foundation in 2005, and after over 100 years of Christianity, one would expect Tonga (and its environs) to be flourishing but this isn’t quite the case. In fact, it is still in dire need of primary evangelization. While the Word of God seems to have taken root in other parts of South Sudan and borne much fruit in the same situation of tumult, Malakal area seems to have been a more difficult nut to crack. Perhaps the fact that Malakal town was held by Khartoum government forces with its drive of Islamization could have been a factor too.

 

Ruins like this reminds one of the war

The persistent presence of war in the south since independence had severe consequences for the under-development of this region. However, new glimmers of hope came with the signing of a Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005 between the Khartoum government and South Sudan to end over 2 decades of the recent war. Its full implementation still needs our prayers. The task of reconstruction is huge. The presence of many NGOs and the UN is a sign of the international community’s support for the reconstruction effort. But the contribution of the natives is sometimes lacking. Just as we are try to make the Christians own the communities we are setting up, many Sudanese still have to awaken to the fact that hard work and determination are crucial to the sustainable development of South Sudan. Things will not just happen or be done by someone else.

The mission of Tonga was not spared during the war. Prior to the war, Tonga was a flourishing mission complex with a church, primary boarding school, convent and a huge presbytery. Now, all of that is gone, except for the church which was miraculously spared. The entire school buildings and convent were razed to the ground. The fathers’ house was occupied by rebel soldiers and left in a very dilapidated state.  The utility building of the sisters that was used as a kitchen among other things is now being used by the three priests in Tonga as we try to renovate the fathers’ house. The refurbishment work is painfully slow because of the scarcity of skilled labour. Anyone available demanded very high wages just as the NGOs and the UN pay them. When we discovered that  no skilled labour was forthcoming, instead of marking time on the same spot, we decided to take up the wheel barrows, spades, trowels etc and do something ourselves. None of us is an expert, but we quickly learnt as we went along. And indeed, we are not doing badly!

It’s been a year since Mill Hill returned to Tonga. During the first months, some members of our team felt an indifference of the people to our presence. But one year on, we have had many signals from the traditional and local government leaders that the Christian character of Tonga and our presence is still very much valued. One of such incidences occurred during Lent this year when while on a journey, our boat broke down and all three of us working in Tonga spent the whole night on the Nile River. The mosquitoes had a feast on us. We were only rescued 11 hours later. It was very touching to see the entire community’s outpouring of sympathy towards us.

The Presbytery in Tonga

Mission has been defined by different peoples in various ways, but essentially, it’s about awakening humanity to the realization of God’s unconditional love for us fully revealed in Christ Jesus. Here we are not only telling people about it, we are letting our physical work do the talking as well. Many people in Tonga expect the Church to be restored as it was in its hay-days and former glory. This is a big challenge. For now, we have opted for a quieter presence hoping that our presence will continue to be a sign of hope and courage for the many returnees

Faces of Tonga