S.Sudanese Scholarship Recipients Enjoy Leadership Course

On December 10th, forty-nine excited MBB High School and College Scholars and 2 chaperones met  in the town of Narus, South Sudan for the first-ever MBB Scholars' Leadership Training course. Getting there was the hard part; some traveled 3 days on dangerous roads, braving bandits, floods, and vehicle breakdowns. Being there was the fun part:  Bro. Emmanuel Dan taught computer classes; Sr Edvine Tumwesigye organized the team-building activities, and Sr Marilyn Lacey introduced the leadership exercises.  The interactive learning style was completely new to the participants, who are accustomed only to rote learning.  During the late-afternoon free time, most of the young women flocked back to the computer room to practice 10-finger typing via animated software. By popular demand, MBB will host the training again next year.

Madonna with Child

Wishing warmest Christmas blessings to all, and the gift of peace to war-ravaged places in our hearts and in our world.

This Toposa mother and child remind us of the hope that comes with the birth of any child: hope for a better world, hope for lasting community, hope for resources freely shared that all may have enough for a decent life, hope that forgiveness can overcome violence, that love may be stronger than death, that we can embrace our common humanity and rise above whatever divides us.

Merry Christmas. A joy-filled New Year.  And deepest thanks for all the ways you support Mercy Beyond Borders in South Sudan and in Haiti!

Waste not, want not...

Carpenters in Haiti resourcefully recycle and re-use everything!  Here we see the nails being used in the renovation of the Scholars’ Lodge in Gros Morne, Haiti.  Upon seeing this bucket of rust, a construction worker in the US commented wryly: “Those nails already look fully depreciated to me!”

It Takes Two to Tangle

When you’re a preschooler, it takes two to tangle with a water pump at St Bakhita’s.  Both girls jump to grab the lever as they imitate the older girls in working the pump arm. Their body weight isn’t enough to bring it down; only a trickle of water emerges.  Soon enough they will become adept at the hard labor of hauling water for daily use. For them, the pump is a luxury. Most villages do not have one, and the women must walk long hours to find and bring home the precious water.