‘The Book of Forgiving’ is going to Bor County

Can Forgiveness End a War?

Rebuild South Sudan asks this question together with the South Sudan Council of Churches and South Sudan Women United.

How can a country move past a civil war? How do you reconcile yourself to your brothers, sisters, cousins, neighbors and yourself after so much conflict? Perhaps forgiveness can help. South Sudan Council of Churches, who met for a Church Leader’s Retreat in Rwanda this past June to work towards the healing of South Sudan, issued a statement. We want to share part of that statement:

“We have learned many things from our brothers and sisters in Rwanda [and their story of genocide]: the need for reconciliation, forgiveness, humility, unity and leadership. We have seen how important forgiveness is: the person who does not forgive remains a prisoner of their own bitterness, and only he or she holds the key to that prison. To free another person is to free yourself; reconciliation must begin with yourself; only if you heal yourself can you hope to heal others. We have been challenged to examine ourselves, to question whether we have colluded in the conflict either by omission or commission, and to begin to transform ourselves.”

Rebuild South Sudan is partnering with South Sudan Women United to share Desmond and Mpho Tutu’s new book, The Book of Forgiving, with South Sudan. South Sudanese Women in Diaspora, from a number of tribes, have come together to talk about what it means to forgive across tribal lines. They all bravely asked themselves, and each other, “What have I done to contribute to tribal conflict, even if I didn’t know I was?” These women want to see this kind of discussion happen all throughout South Sudan and sent over 2500 copies of the book to South Sudan in hopes that people across the nation will read it and talk about forgiveness in South Sudan.

Following their lead, we will be incorporating The Book of Forgiving in our Teacher Training Program by providing 55 books (one for each teacher plus some extra’s) and having daily reflection/discussions times based on the book. If you would like to support us in this endeavor $13 will get a copy of the book into the hands of a teacher in South Sudan who is working toward the stability of the next generation.

We are very excited to partner with the South Sudanese people in this movement of forgiving, and it is our desire to encourage, empower, and support them in this process. One aspect of partnering means looking at our own places where we need to forgive and reconcile our own stories. If you would like to partner with South Sudan and the South Sudanese people in this effort of forgiveness you can donate towards providing The Book of Forgiving here.